Home The Portrait of a Lady by Edibooks (Editor); Henry James (ISBN: 9781533446411)

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The Portrait of a Lady Paperback - 2016

Name: The Portrait of a Lady
Price: 30.19 GBP
Availability: InStock
Author: Edibooks
ISBN: 9781533446411

by Edibooks (Editor); Henry James

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About this book

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James was initially published as a serial in Macmillan's Magazine (UK) and The Atlantic Monthly (US) in 1880–81. The story tells of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer — arguably one of Miller’s most memorable characters — as she affronts her destiny only to find it overwhelming. The Portrait of a Lady is James’ most popular novel and is regarded by critics as one of his finest, exploring his characteristic theme of conflict between American individualism and European social custom.

From the publisher

One of the great heroines of American literature, Isabel Archer, journeys to Europe in order to, as Henry James writes in his 1908 Preface, "affront her destiny." James began The Portrait of a Lady without a plot or subject, only the slim but provocative notion of a young woman taking control of her fate. The result is a richly imagined study of an American heiress who turns away her suitors in an effort to first establish-and then protect-her independence. But Isabel's pursuit of spiritual freedom collapses when she meets the captivating Gilbert Osmond.

First Edition Identification

Though most generally considered The Portrait of a Lady to have been published simultaneously in the United Kingdom and the United States, controversy surrounds the true publication history. Macmillan (London) published the first UK edition of the book in three volumes in November 1881, just as the story was concluding its run in the eponymous house monthly magazine. However, Macmillan’s second edition — its first single-volume edition — was not published until June 1882. In the mean time, Houghton, Mifflin, and Company (Boston) published the first US and first single-volume edition, which became available on November 16, 1881, though the date on the title page states 1882.