The Portrait of a Lady
by Henry James
When Isabel Archer, a young American woman with appearance, intelligence and imagination, arrives in Europe, she sees the world as "a place of brilliance, freedom of expression, irresistible action." He distances himself from the suitors who offer him their wealth and allegiance in order to follow his own path. But this path leads to a disappointment and future, narrowed to "a dark and narrow street with a dead wall at the end." As a result, Isabel, one of the most poignant in modern fiction, makes her final choice. "Portrait of a Lady" is the masterpiece of James' middle era, and Isabel is perhaps his most attractive main character.
