![Book Cover of The Portrait of a Lady](/image/book/the-portrait-of-a-lady.webp)
The Portrait of a Lady Vol 1
by Henry James
'The Portrait of a Lady Vol 1' Summary
Isabel Archer, from Albany, New York, is invited by her maternal aunt, Lydia Touchett, to visit Lydia's rich husband, Daniel, at his estate near London, following the death of Isabel's father. There, Isabel meets her uncle, her friendly invalid cousin Ralph Touchett, and the Touchetts' robust neighbor, Lord Warburton.
Isabel later declines Warburton's sudden proposal of marriage. She also rejects the hand of Caspar Goodwood, the charismatic son and heir of a wealthy Boston mill owner. Although Isabel is drawn to Caspar, her commitment to her independence precludes such a marriage, which she feels would demand the sacrifice of her freedom.
The elder Touchett grows ill and, at the request of his son, Ralph, leaves much of his estate to Isabel upon his death. With her large legacy, Isabel travels the Continent and meets an American expatriate, Gilbert Osmond, in Florence. Although Isabel had previously rejected both Warburton and Goodwood, she accepts Osmond's proposal of marriage, unaware that it has been actively promoted by the accomplished but untrustworthy Madame Merle, another American expatriate, whom Isabel had met at the Touchetts' estate.
Isabel and Osmond settle in Rome, but their marriage rapidly sours, owing to Osmond's overwhelming egotism and lack of genuine affection for his wife. Isabel grows fond of Pansy, Osmond's presumed daughter by his first marriage, and wants to grant her wish to marry Edward Rosier, a young art collector.
The snobbish Osmond would prefer that Pansy accept the proposal of Warburton, who had previously proposed to Isabel. Isabel suspects, however, that Warburton may just be feigning interest in Pansy to get close to Isabel again, and the conflict creates even more strain within the unhappy marriage.
Isabel then learns that Ralph is dying at his estate in England and prepares to go to him for his final hours, but Osmond selfishly opposes this plan. Meanwhile, Isabel learns from her sister-in-law that Pansy is actually the daughter of Madame Merle, who had had an adulterous relationship with Osmond for several years.
Isabel pays a final visit to Pansy, who desperately begs her to return someday, which Isabel reluctantly promises to do. She then leaves, without telling her spiteful husband, to comfort the dying Ralph in England, where she remains until his death.
Goodwood encounters her at Ralph's estate and begs her to leave Osmond and come away with him. He passionately embraces and kisses her, but Isabel flees. Goodwood seeks her out the next day but is told she has set off again for Rome.
The ending is ambiguous, and the reader is left to imagine whether Isabel returned to Osmond to suffer out her marriage in noble tragedy (perhaps for Pansy's sake), or if she is going to rescue Pansy and leave Osmond.
Book Details
Author
![Henry James image](/thumbs/image/author/henry-james.webp)
Henry James
America, Britain
Henry James was born in New York City on April 15, 1843, into a wealthy and intellectually stimulating family. His father, Henry James Sr., was a Swedenborgian philosopher and his mother, Mary Roberts...
More on Henry JamesDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
![The Sword Maker Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-sword-maker.webp)
The Sword Maker by Robert Barr
In the mystical realm of Eldoria, a land brimming with ancient secrets and unfathomable power, lies the enigmatic workshop of a master sword maker kno...
![The Star-Chamber: An Historical Romance, Volume 2 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-star-chamber-an-historical-romance-volume-2.webp)
The Star-Chamber: An Historical Romance, Volume 2 by William Harrison Ainsworth
As the clouds of uncertainty gather over England, the enigmatic secret court, known as the Star-Chamber, unleashes its shadowy powers, pulling unsuspe...
![The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-affair-at-the-semiramis-hotel.webp)
The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel by A. E. W. Mason
In the heart of London, the Semiramis Hotel stands as an elegant oasis, where the rich and influential gather to indulge in lavish pleasures. Behind i...
![El juguete rabioso Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/el-juguete-rabioso.webp)
El juguete rabioso by Roberto Arlt
"Adéntrate en las calles crudas de Buenos Aires y embárcate en un salvaje viaje a través de la mente turbulenta de un joven desilusionado en la cauti...
![The Snare Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-snare.webp)
The Snare by Rafael Sabatini
This is a captivating historical adventure novel that takes readers on a thrilling journey. This book has enthralled readers since its publication. Or...
![Flemington Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/flemington.webp)
Flemington by Violet Jacob
In the quiet English village of Flemington, secrets and passions simmer beneath the surface. Violet Jacob's Flemington is a classic English novel tha...
![The Wings of the Dove, Volume 2 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-wings-of-the-dove-volume-2.webp)
The Wings of the Dove, Volume 2 by Henry James
The Wings of the Dove is a 1902 novel by Henry James. It tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her...
![Madame Bovary Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/madame-bovary.webp)
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The strands woven together in Gustave Flaubert's famous, path breaking 1856 novel Madame Bovary include a provincial town in Normandy, France, a shy y...
![The Flirt Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-flirt.webp)
The Flirt by Booth Tarkington
In a small town in Indiana, a young woman's innocent flirtations lead to scandal and heartbreak. Laura Madison is a beautiful and charming young woma...
![Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/ranald-bannermans-boyhood.webp)
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood by George MacDonald
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood is a realistic, largely autobiographical, novel by George MacDonald. It was first published in 1871. The original edition w...
Reviews for The Portrait of a Lady Vol 1
No reviews posted or approved, yet...