Title: The Portrait of a Lady
Author:Henry James
Isabel wants to have her independance and freedom at all time. SHe fears that if she gets married she will lose it all. At her home town, Casper Goodwood, someone Isabel like, proposes to her but she says that after travelling with her aunt for one year in Europe, she will answer Casper on marriage. In Europe , her aunt's neigbor Lord Wuburton proposes to her,she rejects it. After some time, Isabel's uncle dies and leaves half his fortune to ISabel. Isbel travel to Florence with her aunt and aunt's friend. There she meets an another man named Gilbert Osmond. He also proposes to her, and she accepts it. Her aunt's friend has planned this so that Osmond has access to Isabel's wealth. Also Osmond has a daughter name Pansy who's mother died. They get married. Soon, Isabel sees Osmond's selfish, inaffecionte character. Isabel plans to visit her cousin Ralph who is dying of a disease, but Osmond opposes. During the the time Isabel learns that Pansy's mother is her aunt's friend, who has a secret relationship with OSmond. Isabel was shocked, and went to England to see Ralph. At there, Casper again begs ISaabel to marry him and forget about her old marriage. But, again Isabel refuses and goes back to Rome.
Altogether Isabel's thought of losing her freedom and independance and reject Lord and Capser, made her to go and get married to a person in where she did lose all her freedom and independance.
Mina
Miliken Mill
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1 comment:
HI, Mina:
Portrait of a lady is quite the classic.
Again, I find it interesting to read about how people lived in different times. What is also interesting is although this is a work of fiction, this young woman was allowed to travel the way she did and to turn down so many proposals. James did indeed make this a classic by writing it this way.
I also find it interesting to see a time when a woman's only goal was her social standing and her marriage.
You never really said if you liked the story?
Catherine
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