Schedule and Background

[Susan]

Here’s the reading and discussion schedule for The Portrait of a Lady:

Week 1 — Nov. 13 — Chapter 1-6
Week 2 — Nov. 20 — Chapter 7-12
Week 3 — Nov. 27 — Chapter 13-16
Week 4 — Dec. 4 — Chapter 17-20
Week 5 — Dec. 11 — Chapter 21-25
Week 6 — Dec. 18 — Chapter 26-31
Week 7 — Dec. 25 — Chapter 32-37
Week 8 — Jan. 1 —Chapter 38-42
Week 9 — Jan. 8 — Chapter 43-46
Week 10 — Jan. 15 — Chapter 47-50
Week 11 —Jan. 22 — Chapter 51-55

The Portrait of a Lady is available on Project Gutenberg.

[Susan]

**Information on editions is repeated here for convenience**

Which edition of The Portrait of a Lady should you read? There is an earlier 1881 edition and the revised “New York” edition of 1908. Most publishers use the “New York” edition these days, although the Library of America chose to print the 1881 edition. I would recommend the “New York” edition, but if you’re curious, this article does a good job of laying out the differences: https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/74... and either one will work for our discussions.

[Susan]

Character List in order of appearance — Chapters 1-46

Mr Daniel Touchett, retired banker, an American living in England
Ralph Touchett, his son, who has spent most of his life in England
Lord Warburton, an English neighbor and friend of the Touchetts
Mrs Touchett, estranged wife/mother, lives in Florence
Isabel Archer, Mrs Touchett’s American niece
Mr Archer, Isabel’s deceased father
Lilian Ludlow (Lily), Isabel’s oldest sister, mother of two young sons
Mr Edmund Ludlow, Lily’s husband, a New York lawyer
Edith Keyes, Isabel’s next oldest sister
Mr Keyes, Edith’s husband, an officer in the US Engineers
Caspar Goodwood, a young man from Boston, Isabel’s friend/suitor
Mrs Varían, Isabel’s paternal aunt
Henrietta Stackpole, Isabel’s friend, a journalist
Miss Molyneux, the oldest of Lord Warburton’s two unmarried sisters
Mildred Molyneux, the younger of Lord Warburton’s unmarried sisters
Vicar of Lockleigh, one of Lord Warburton’s brothers
Bob Bantling, an English friend of Ralph’s, an “amiable batchelor”
Lady Pensil, Mr Bantling’s sister
The Miss Climbers, two American friends of Henrietta’s
Sir Matthew Hope, “the great doctor”
Madame Merle, an old friend of Mrs Touchett’s, American living in Europe
Mrs Luce, an old friend of Mrs Touchett’s, originally from Baltimore, now living in Paris
Mr. Luce, her husband who knows how to order a good dinner
Edward Rosier, known as Ned, an old friend of Isabel’s, an American raised in Paris
Gilbert Osmond, an old friend of Madame Merle, lives in Florence
Pansy Osmond, 15 year old daughter of Gilbert Osmond
Mother Catherine, nun from convent in Rome where Pansy was
Mother Justine, nun from convent in Rome where Pansy was
Countess Gemini, Gilbert Osmond’s sister

[Susan]

Any audiobook recommendations? I’m listening to the Audible version narrated by John Wood, but am not 100% sold on his dialogue.

[Susan]

Is this Gardencourt? This photo of an English country home was used as the frontispiece for the first volume of The Portrait of a Lady in the New York edition: https://www.clevelandart.org/print/ar...

[Susan]

It’s difficult to compare money amounts from the Victorian period to the present because so many factors come into play. However, there are a number of on-line calculators that let one try. Here’s one: https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/infl...

[Lily]

Susan wrote: "Character List in order of appearance — Chapters 1-6

Mr Daniel Touchett, retired banker, an American living in England
Ralph Touchett, his son, who has spent most of his life in England
Lord Warb..."

Certainly not all who will be significant to the story. But thks for the list and key relationship to each other to start the book!

[Lily]

James makes me realize, even after living in the East so many years, I am relatively naive about the social/political dynamics of Massachusetts (Boston), New York (Albany-New York), vis a vis London/Europe and vis a vis the remainder of the United States in the period of which he is writing.

[Susan]

What does Lord Warburton mean by saying he is for Reform? He supports a drive to expand suffrage in the UK and for other changes. Here’s some background on the Reform Act of 1884, one of the 19th century Reform bills which expanded the right to vote and revamped represented areas in the UK: https://www.parliament.uk/about/livin.... (This act was passed a few years after the novel was published in 1881). And this article discusses all the 19th century Reform Acts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_...

[Susan]

Lily wrote: "Susan wrote: "Character List in order of appearance — Chapters 1-6

Mr Daniel Touchett, retired banker, an American living in England
Ralph Touchett, his son, who has spent most of his life in Eng..."

Thanks. I’ll be updating the character list as new characters are introduced.

[Susan]

For those who are curious, here’s a fact sheet on women’s place in UK society in the 19th century: https://www.striking-women.org/module... In addition, women could not vote.

As was pointed out in last week’s discussion, most of the characters in The Portrait of a Lady are wealthy. Isabel, her family, and Henrietta Stackpole are exceptions, but Isabel and her sisters were raised by a wealthy eccentric father who spent his fortune before his death.

[Susan]

Audiobooks — I’ve switched to the Juliet Stevenson reading and am enjoying it. The challenge for an audiobook reader is the British and American accents of the characters, and she does a decent job, although you might think Caspar Goodwood should have at least a trace of a New England accent.

[Susan]

The “new” French Republic that Henrietta Stackpole is interested to see is the Third Republic established after the Franco-Prussian War and defeat of the Paris Commune in 1870: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thir.... These references in the novel allow scholars to date Isabel and Mrs Touchett’s visit to Paris as the winter of 1872.

[Susan]

For anyone looking for more background information, Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece by Michael Gorra has been highly recommended to me by several James aficionados.

[Thomas]

Susan wrote: "For anyone looking for more background information, Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece by Michael Gorra has been highly recommended to me by ..."

I'm about 100 pages into it. So far it's more of a biographical overview with little reference to PoaL, but I expect that will change at some point. It is well-written in any case, though I find it a bit gossipy.

[Susan]

Thomas wrote: "I'm about 100 pages into it. So far it's more of a biographical overview with little reference to PoaL, but I expect that will change at some point. It is well-written in any case, though I find it a bit gossipy...."

Good to hear. I’ve got a copy waiting on my Kindle

[Lily]

Thomas wrote: "Susan wrote: "For anyone looking for more background information, Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece by Michael Gorra .....though I find it a bit gossipy"

The more I re-read of PoaL, the more it feels like a sublimation of Henry James' own story. And, yes, I understand that I read in the shadow of wide-spread angst about expression of human identity.

[La_mariane]

Has anyone read Mrs Osmond by John Banville? It seems he wrote a fanfic / a sequel of "Portrait of a Lady". Is it worth reading? I've never picked up anything by this author, but I've only heard good things about his writting style. (Also, I can't imagine the self-assurance one would need to write what happens after Henry James decided the story was done!)

[Susan]

La_mariane wrote: "Has anyone read Mrs Osmond by John Banville? It seems he wrote a fanfic / a sequel of "Portrait of a Lady". Is it worth reading? I've never picked up anything by this au..."

I haven’t read it, but have a copy I picked up years ago and never got to ;) The reviews I’ve read are divided between raves and pans. At a minimum, it is an audacious attempt.

Spoiler Alert: These reviews reveal details of the plot and ending of The Portrait of a Lady.

For instance, here is a positive review from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201.... And a rather negative one from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-...

[La_mariane]

Susan wrote: "La_mariane wrote: "Has anyone read Mrs Osmond by John Banville? It seems he wrote a fanfic / a sequel of "Portrait of a Lady". Is it worth reading? I've never picked up ..."

Seems like I'll have to read it myself, since the reviews are so different. What's one more book on my already too big TBR list?

[Lily]

La_mariane wrote: "Seems like I'll have to read it myself, since the reviews are so different. What's one more book on my already too big TBR list?..."

Obviously, that's totally up to you, of course, La mariane!

I am re-reading/listening to PoaL. It is slow and arduous for me, thinking listening would speed the time investment -- but so far it hasn't. James sentences and character (story?) developments are just too intricate for me not to savor them -- especially since, as I have said elsewhere, I feel as I am reading this with the backdrop of the U.S. presidential election, many of whose machinations I have followed too closely -- or at least spent too much time on.

My interlibrary loan of Mrs. Osmond came in this weekend. I spent a good piece of this morning skimming -- for me, it read much faster than James, whether re-reading or re-listening. I would say the dichotomy of reviews are justifiable. Personally, for the time invested, it was "fun."

(One reviewer has suggested Alan Hollinghurst is another writer with the skills to match/mimic? James. I don't know his work.)

Among the books/writers in your personal reading oeuvre, may I be so bold as to ask where you place James?

[Susan]

“One could see this in Gilbert Osmond, Madame Merle held—see that he had been brought up by a woman; though, to do him justice, one would suppose it had been by a more sensible woman than the American Corinne, as Mrs Osmond had liked to be called.” Chapter 26

Note on “the American Corinne”: “Madame de Staël (1766-1817) published her novel Corinne in 1807, a central document of European romanticism. The novel features an idealized female poet who comes to represent the Italian struggle for independence, becoming a symbol of the nation. To nominate oneself the American Corinne would be a supreme act of self-confidence or possibly just self-delusion.” From Oxford World Classics edition

[Thomas]

The Wall Street Journal publishes a "Five Best" column each Saturday in their Review section. Today's is by the biographer Jean Strouse, on Literary Portraits.

Number 1 in her list is Portrait of a Lady.

Only a few books, in my view, merit re-reading every few years. Henry James's novel "The Portrait of a Lady" is one. James later wrote that the germ of his idea was not a plot but a single character -- "the mere slim shade of an intelligent but presumptuous girl." ... In the novel's central scene, Isabel sits up one night and slowly takes in all that has happened and where she is. That stream-of-consciousness passage led later writers to dispense with linear time and conventional plot, capturing the flow and tumbling associations of their characters' mind. "Portrait" changed literary culture. It is also pure pleasure to read.

[Susan]

The painting Henrietta Stackpole thinks is the most beautiful in the world is The Corregio of the Tribune from the Uffizi: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/cor...

[Susan]

Henry James wrote prefaces for the New York editions of his books, including one for The Portrait of a Lady. He discusses his writing process and his thoughts on fiction and his work in his own elliptical way. This is not part of our reading, but here it is if anyone is interested:
http://www.online-literature.com/henr...

The prefaces are collected together in The Art of the Novel which is a good reference for readers/writers who are interested in James’ thoughts about his work and writing.

[Susan]

Susanna wrote: "The baby does not look real."

The figure of the baby is quite foreshortened, so it may depend on the angle one views it from.

[Lily]

Susan wrote: "The painting Henrietta Stackpole thinks is the most beautiful in the world is The Corregio of the Tribune from the Uffizi: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/cor..."

What a sweet baby! I can imagine Isabel relating to it -- and the Madonna figure. Not one of the Caravaggio's I recall -- more those with the dark chiaroscuro for which he is famous.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/caravaggio...

(Oh, my! Time to revisit the text. I've swapped artists!!)

[Susan]

Another great source for those interested in James’ thoughts about his work and writing is The Complete Notebooks of Henry James: The Authoritative and Definitive Edition His 4-5 pages of notes on A Portrait of a Lady give us a chance to look over his shoulder as he planned the novel. At one point, he was unsure which of two characters would reveal Madame Merle’s secret to Isabel in that climactic scene. Also, he may have considered the name “Raymond Gyves” instead of “Gilbert Osmond.” Maybe he thought it was too obvious?

[Susan]

If you enjoyed The Portrait of a Lady, you might want to try another of James’ books some time. James’ favorite of his works was The Ambassadors. And he wrote a number of excellent novellas, including The Aspern Papers and Washington Square. Typical of the later James and his more difficult style are What Maisie Knew and The Golden Bowl

[Lily]

Susan wrote: "Also, he may have considered the name “Raymond Gyves” instead of “Gilbert Osmond.” Maybe he thought it was too obvious?..."

Ok, a search would probably tell me the allusion that just blew over my head, but.....tell us?
Okay -- a quick search gives me this: "Hamlet starts out William Shakespeare's play sharing other characters' Calvinist view of the constraints on man's free will. During the play, he progresses towards a belief in his own freedom which stands in counterpoint to the determinist views of the Danish court. The play lacks, however, the religious component prominent in free will discussions during Shakespeare's time, using the dynamics of the free will controversy but focusing on temporal freedom and on man's moral duties before his inevitable death." (Gale Academic Document)

[Lily]

Gyves -- fetters, chains, bonds ....