james, henry

Isabel Archer is a beautiful, spirited American who becomes a victim of her own provincialism during her travels in Europe. Determined to control her own fate, she turns down two eligible suitors and using an inheritance, she travels. But her fortune only leads her to make a tragic choice and marry Gilbert Osmond, An American expatriate who lives in Florence. The book is the story of her survival as she begins to realize that true freedom means living with one's choices despite the consequences.

Contains a selection of critical extracts in which the authors examine various aspects of Henry James's "The Portrait of a Lady"; and includes biographical information about James, a list of characters, and a thematic and structural analysis.

Traces the origins, development, and flowering of the intellectual family, from its eighteenth-century Irish origins to the death of the novelist Henry James in 1916.

Provides biographical information about nineteenth-century American author Henry James, and features analyses of five of his short stories, each with a plot summary, list of characters, and a selection of critical excerpts.