I'm not sure why it took Henry James 3x as many pages to tell a very similar story here to the one he told in Washington Square. Basically: give a woman her freedom and she will choose poorly.

"Ci sono delusioni che durano quanto la vita"

"Ritratto di signora" è il capolavoro di Henry James, scritto intorno al 1880. Inizio parlando dei i lati negativi, così mi tolgo subito il dente.

Il libro, indubbiamente quasi statico nelle prime 150 pagine (che fatica, due caffè ogni mezz'ora per stare sveglio), descrive le vicende di un gruppo di ricchi americani aristocratici in Europa. Chi incontrano? Solo americani, ovunque vadano, che sia Inghilterra, Francia o Italia. I pochi indigeni vengono tediati ripetutamente (che tatto, santo cielo!) con dettagliate spiegazioni di quanto gli americani sian migliori degli europei.

Sport di questi aristocratici nullafacenti spocchiosi e snob (più cafoni dei peggiori camalli del porto) è chiedere in sposa ragazze (americane, ovviamente) appena conosciute. Dopo un paio di passeggiate nel parco, zac, via con la dichiarazione.

In questo simpatico ambiente spicca Isabel, la protagonista, intelligente e bella. Che vince però pure il premio antipatia, staccando di gran lunga tutti i concorrenti. Ma c'è una giustizia, a questo mondo...

Ok, mi sono sfogato (ma la prima parte è proprio pesante da digerire...).

Vediamo invece perché il libro, nonostante quanto detto, mi è piaciuto molto.

Innanzitutto la scrittura, allusiva, ironica e fluida; James è un grandissimo narratore che intreccia, anticipa, guida, confonde, sorprende. James ci convince di qualcosa per poi negarcela successivamente. Rimaniamo quindi sospettosi per tutta la durata del libro, pensando a possibili sviluppi o ribaltamenti.

Il personaggio principale è Isabel, intelligente e determinata, anticipatrice del femminismo odierno. La sua originalità risiede nella sua estrema libertà che, complice una eredità inaspettata ma assai gradita che ne eleva lo status sociale, si pone nelle condizioni di pilotare a suo piacimento la propria esistenza. In realtà la sua autonomia di giudizio, la sua facoltà di scelta, la sua indipendenza, la sua libertà cessano nel momento in cui decide di intraprendere il classico matrimonio sbagliato (ne esisterà uno giusto?).

"Adesso, aveva dinnanzi la luna piena, vedeva l’uomo intero. Si era mantenuta, per così dire, immobile, così da lasciargli libero il campo: eppure, malgrado questo, aveva presa una parte per il tutto."

Questo Ritratto di signora è forse è uno dei primi libri in cui viene lasciato tanto spazio alla descrizione interiore di un personaggio femminile. La trama è semplice, ma l'intreccio assolutamente no. Una ragazza libera come userà la sua libertà? Quali passi potrà compiere? Mille scelte sono possibili alla bella Isabel; che invece viene ingabbiata suo malgrado verso quella peggiore. Tra le righe, magari sbaglio, vedo in James un po' di misoginia strisciante...

Tutto qui? No, mentre ci mettiamo comodi per vedere come si evolverà la vita di Isabel in seguito a quella che pensiamo essere la scelta sbagliata, James ci spiazza e ci costringe a cambiare parere in continuazione, con una maestria notevole.

In fondo la storia di Isabel non è solo la storia di una libertà buttata via, ma piuttosto il cammino verso maturità e consapevolezza.

Come non ricordare Madame Bovary, libro di Flaubert di poco antecedente? Due protagoniste indipendenti e dal forte carattere, due matrimoni sbagliati, due modi diversi di intendere la passione e l'amore, due diversi modi di gestione del danaro. Dal punto di vista letterario, per me non c'è confronto, vince Flaubert!

why won't the men leave isabel alone

n  n    Book Reviewn  n
3+ out of 5 stars for The Portrait of a Lady, a classic story called the "Great American Novel," written by Henry James in 1881. I adore Henry James and found great enjoyment in his literary works when I began reading him in my freshmen year at college. As an English major, I was exposed to many different authors, but I felt a strong connection with him and this literary period. American realistic works spoke to me above any of the other "classic" books I had been reading. As a result, I chose Henry James as the primary focus of an independent study course I'd taken in my senior year. I read 6 or 7 of his books during those 3 months and am going back now to provide quick reviews, as not everyone finds him as enjoyable as I do. I also don't want to bore everyone with a lengthy review on how to interpret him or his books.

The Portrait of a Lady tells the story of a young woman who years to have her own life and make her own mark on the world. She doesn't want to be contained by marriage or the structure in place at the time in the late 19th century. She has different characteristics coming from American, English and continental European female archetypes. She has strong moral and ethical values. She knows who she is, yet she does not know all. As she moves through life, she makes choices that are not easy for her to execute. What I loved about this work is its deep exploratory view points, beautiful language and unparalleled characters. Though I only give it a 3, when compared to some of this other works, I would recommend you read a few chapters or sections, just to see if it is something you could find yourself getting lost in.

The impact you feel upon reading this book is questioning what is the true view of a lady, how is she different from generation to generate, location to location and societal class to societal class. James knows women. He is very accurate on many levels... wrong on a few, too. But to put out his thoughts, in a huge tome, at a time when women were beginning to get more rights... and be able to cross genres and genders... is amazing. It's less about what he says and more about how he says it. And that's why I enjoy reading him... but even I admit, I can only take 1 book every few years! :)

n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

The Portrait of a Lady has to be my favourite of the fifteen or so Henry James books I've read. The crowning achievement of James' middle period, when he had honed his powers of observation to perfection but had not yet slipped into the long-winded obscurity that makes his later novels so hard to read, it is in my opinion one of the most perfect novels of the nineteenth century. Very little actually happens in it, but what little does happen is described so exquisitely that you hardly notice it's a whole lot of nothing spread out over 600+ pages. That's masterful story-telling for you.

The Portrait of a Lady centres on Isabel Archer, a young, lively and intelligent American who is taken to Europe by her eccentric expatriate aunt. In Europe, she is courted by eligible bachelors who appreciate her independent-mindedness and wish to see where it will lead her, but for all their attentions, she ends up marrying a cold-hearted bastard who treats her like an ornament and all but breaks her spirit. The rest of the book revolves around the question whether Isabel will stay with her husband out of a sense of duty or live up to her old ideals of independence.

As I said, there's not an awful lot of story here (the above paragraph is a near-complete summary of the plot), but James makes the most of it. With his powerful observations and descriptions and superb characterisation, he paints a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century womanhood and the institution of marriage, of love, loyalty and longing, of purity versus artificiality, of betrayal, of the differences between Americans and Europeans (a recurring theme in his oeuvre) and of major themes in life: duty, honour, commitment, freedom. Isabel Archer is a likeable heroine whose dreams are quite recognisable to the modern reader, so while James keeps his distance from her, analysing her as a case study rather than as a flesh-and-blood human being, the reader feels for her; it's quite torturous watching her go and make the mistakes which will ruin her life. Both Isabel's struggles and the other characters' are described in elegant but sharp and incisive prose. The result is a big book that is subtle yet dramatic, understated yet powerful, and that ranks among the best things James ever wrote.

While reading The Portrait of A Lady, I kept thinking, this is a book that should be illustrated by John Singer Sargent. There is an opulence, a lushness and attention to detail here so in tune with the painter's work, and, too, there is a distance, a slight chasm between the subject and the audience.

I won't summarize the plot, but for such a long book, I have to say, I was engaged and interested the whole time. Despite several characters' slight frostiness, the scenery was almost a character in itself, and I was fascinated to read about the expats in Italy and England, and enjoyed James' descriptively fluent language. Ralph was by far my favorite character, and I definitely think James did his best work in developing him and fleshing him out. I heard that in this novel, James was trying to accurately portray the way a woman felt, really considering her psyche and not just her veneer. In this, I am not certain he succeeded, as Isabelle never truly felt developed to me. Complex, yes, but somehow not quite like a real person. This book really raises interesting questions about the roles of women, cultural differences, and significantly, distinctions between the classes, particularly for women. He does a nice job in showing us characters from different generations and backgrounds and pushing them all together on one stage. It's one of those books I think will stay with me for a long time. The way everything was described, the nuances and attention to details just painted such an intense image.

This was only my second book by Henry James, but I have already bought The Europeans and The Wings of the Dove, which is probably the most telling testament regarding my reception of this novel. Like Edith Wharton, it's sort of a slow burn, but one I won't be quick to forget.

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

Klasika yra klasika ir aš ją ne tik mėgstu, bet ir jaučiu pareigą skaityti. Ne vieną po kitos griaužti, bet karts nuo karto paįvairinti savo skaitymo meniu. Henry James "Moters portretas" priklauso būtent šiai kategorijai, o be to paskutiniu metu mane tiesiog užvaldžiusios storulės, tai aš tam norui jas skaityti per daug nesipriešinu ir skaitau vieną po kitos.

Naratyvas paprastas - jauna, daili amerikietė Izabelė atvyksta į Senąjį žemyną. Čia ji apsuka galvas daugumai. Visi ja žavisi, tad natūralu, kad jauna moteris sulaukia pasiūlymo tekėti ir net ne vieno. Deja, niekas jos širdies nepaliečia taip, kad ši ištartų lemtingąjį "taip". Miršta Izabelės dėdė ir palieka jai didžiulę sumą pinigų, tačiau jis net nenumano, kad toks jo poelgis iš esmės sugriaus Izabelės gyvenimą.

Pasakojimas, manau, patiks tokių kūrinių kaip "Forsaitų saga", "Ponia Bovari", "Belgravija" mylėtojams. Centrinė figūra, nieko nenustebinsiu pasakydama, - Izabelė. Tipiška amerikietė, bent jau kaip tai įsivaizduoja britai. Sako ką galvoja, svajoja, na ir, aišku, ta jos nepažabojama laisvė. Izabelei atvykus į Europą tarsi susiduria dvi kultūros - amerikietiška bei europietiška. Pasakojimas dalinai pastatytas ant šios įtampos. Kitas atramos taškas - jaunos moters vidinis pasaulis ir laimės paieškos.

Kiek keistas man pasirodė vidinis Izabelės posūkis nuo laisvės ir noro keliauti iki moters, kuri uždaryta, kuri turi atsiklausti dėl kiekvieno žingsnio ir kuri net nenori ištrūkti. Pasakysiu atvirai - arba aš nesupratau arba autoriui nepavyko pagrįsti kodėl įvyko toks didžiulis posūkis.

Mėgtu aš tokias knygas. Suprantu, kad nepatiks visiems, bet čia, kaip sakoma, my cup of tea. Gana lėtas pasakojimas, kuriame vidinis vyksmas daug svarbesnis, o dar ta aristokratišką aplinka mane galutinai nuginkluoja. Patiko, bet vis tik liūdna, kad su tokiu polėkiu startavusi Izabelė, kaip įkvepianti jauna moteris, mano vilčių nepateisino.

اواسط کتاب فکر میکردم خوب میشه اگه همینجا ادامه ندم چه دلیلی داره این همه طولانی شدن
و چقدر خوب که به این احساس غلبه کردم تازه بعد از تموم شدن این حس میاد سراغ ادم که زیادم طولانی نشده و انچه که باید بود.

سفر با ایزابل ،زنی که بیشتر از اینکه باهوش و زیبا باشه بقیه بهش اینو القا کردن پراز تجربه برای آموختن بود.

کاش در طول داستان در کنار بررسی بعد احساسی و ازدواج ایزابل به سفرهاش و مدیریت پول باد اورده اشاره میشد.

——دربسیاری مواقع در زندگی ما باید حاضر باشیم که هیچ کس را خشنود نکنیم، حتی خودمان را——

masterpiece. best of James

Like the paintings in the Uffizi Gallery that left some of the novel’s characters and the museum visitors in awe, James kept me in constant awe while immersing myself in his masterpiece. I am amiss for words to write the ”review”, feeling that anything I write would be like sacrilegious blotches on the canvass of perfection that I have just read.

Fortunately, the edition I read includes Colm Tóibín’s short but superb Afterword from which I’ll quote a few passages. Appropriately an “afterword,” only to be read after finishing the novel not because of the spoilers (hardly any are hinted at) but as an eloquent expression of the very same reflections a reader is left with after finishing this magnificent novel. Moreover, it contains a few biographical details, including real and fictional persons who inspired some of the scenes and characters. I was also elated to learn that the scene when Isabel Archer contemplates her life— in fact taking the entire chapter (42)—which grabbed me so much that I thought I read it in one breath, was later described by James himself as “obviously the best thing in the book.”

As Tóibín succinctly put it, the novel “blends architectural perfection with unerring characterization” and, while “James was concerned with consciousness rather than plot,” he “nonetheless understood that a novel must have a body as well as a soul.” And its soul is the titled Isabel Archer, the most fascinating, as well as the most complete in her portrayal, female fictional character that I have ever encountered. Tóibín said it best again: “He [James] was fearless in his depiction of the play of her consciousness; her high ideals and her need for freedom were dramatized against repression and dark restriction. In concentrating on her fate in the world, he created one of the most magnificent figures in the large and sprawling house of fiction.”

John Banville wrote a sequel, but I must give room to reading more James before I see what another talented writer had made of his unforgettable character. I read The Aspern Papers earlier this month, but now, after The Portrait, I am more than certain that there is no stopping for me in my reading journey with James this year.

review to come!

"I'm so tired of old books about tea," said my friend Lauren recently, and I hope she stays the hell away from snobby constipated Henry James. Here he is with the least engaging first sentence in literature:

"Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Many of the other sentences are also about tea. But it's not all tea; while they drink tea they talk! And talk, and talk. James reminds me of your shitty coworker who makes a lot of excuses. He spins words upon words explaining what's going on, what he's thinking, what his plans are, how his personal affairs have affected his performance, and it all sounds very convincing but at a certain point you're like but what have you done?

It's an apt title because it's a portrait. A beautiful one, full of detail and shading - "recessed and deferred complexities," James Woods calls it - but it doesn't move much. Henry James himself was aware, when he wrote its preface, that it "consisted not at all in any conceit of a 'plot'." And he makes this bizarre decision: when plot arrives - when Isabel chooses a husband, and again when she marries him, and at a momentous later decision - he skips ahead. We don't get to be there for the crucial moments of her life. It feels like looking at a mountain range wreathed in clouds; we see them going up, and we see them coming down, but we never get to see the peaks themselves. He writes between the lines, and omits the lines.

This is frustrating, and yet: I feel like this is one of those books that will be closer in the rearview mirror. It has a distinctive voice and feel. James has insight into how people work. In Colm Toibin's fictionalized biography The Master, he quietly suggests that James benefited from his closetization: he carefully pretended to be someone else throughout his life, and he got very good at pretending to be someone else. He certainly does get deep into Archer's head, and several others.

Not that he shows you everything. He shows you some things in great detail; others stay shrouded. In a way it's a psychological novel; in another way it's more like a mystery, where the crime is her life. The experience of being mystified by Isabel is frustrating; with time, though, I suspect the mystery of Isabel will stick in my head.

So, four stars. Three stars for the experience of reading it; five stars, I'm predicting, for having read it. Full of recessed and deferred complexities it is. It might also be one of those books that get better with re-reading. But the question is, how much tea can I stomach?