A Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

I think that this book was very 18th century literature. I read the epilogue or afterword or whatever it's called in the book and the way it breaks down what the novel was about was actually really intriguing.

One thing I didn't notice was that there was this underlying theme about the failure of women as mothers (it totally isn't the focus of the novel) yet it's there the entire time. I think that it's really cool that the novel has that - I wonder if James did it intentionally (I feel like he did).

I really like Isabel's character - she seemed so real and three-dimensional. It's interesting for me to see James take on the persona of a woman - is it hard for men to understand how women feel? In this case, I don't think so. He really captures the complexities of a woman's mind (or perhaps it's because when it comes down to it, it is the human mind?) and the way that the plot plays out is unexpected, which is why I liked it.

I think that the end was frustrating because in the end she goes back - I feel like if I were in her shoes, I would've done things differently. However, in an era where women have very little power to begin with and are just starting to make their way as independent beings, even what she was able to do was pretty commendable.

As for Osmond, as first, like Isabel, I was attracted to his refined-ness and the way he seemed so aesthetically inclined. As the afterword mentions, the biggest irony is that his obsession with the aesthetic renders him ugly and twisted. He's the kind of guy you want to beat up out of pure frustration at his prudishness.

Merle was somewhat of an enigma for me - I wanted to like her but because she deceives Isabel, yet somehow can "never be wrong" as James mentions, it's really hard to dislike her. I think I pitied her because she couldn't reveal to her daughter that she was her mother and she knew that her own daughter didn't like her. Just all the inner turmoil that she must go through I think was painful. Osmond was just an ass and deserved a lot less than what he got.

Goodwood is too much of a straight stick for me. He struck me as boring in the beginning of the novel but proved to have much more three-dimensionality because of his stiffness. I can't decide whether or not it's a good thing but in the end, he fails so that's that.

I'd have to say my favorite characters by far were Ralph and his father. They seemed so light and witty and in general fun to be around. Even though Ralph was always depressed, he took it with humor and it made me want something to happen between Isabel and Ralph.

As a read, I really enjoyed it but to non-readers, I wouldn't recommend it because James is somewhat of a dense read for those that don't read as much. I heard that James revised his work like crazy and it makes me wonder what his earlier versions of the novel looked like. I suppose I should look into it (which I will I think eventually) but for now, this is my review of the book.

In the end, this novel was more of a study of characters rather than the plot itself. I think the plot could've been written in probably a fourth of the length of the actual novel, but it was more about the thought processes and the characters that really made it a compelling read. In all, I'd definitely read this book again to savor the writing. I can see people complaining about his style but I think he ended up achieving a pretty good balance between being discreet yet exact.