Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady was first made available as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and also in Macmillan's Magazine in the years 1880-1881 before being printed as a book in that same year. It is quite possibly one of James' most well-known long novels and is hailed by critics as one of his best works. The Portrait of a Lady tells the tale of Isabel Archer, an adventurous young American woman who finds it difficult to "confront her destiny". She receives a sizable inheritance from her uncle and later falls prey to the plotting of two American expats. It takes place in Europe, primarily in England and Italy, like the majority of James's works. The subjects of individual freedom, accountability, and treachery are also dealt with in a significant manner. It is expected that Isabel Archer, a stunning and vivacious American, would get married soon when her affluent Aunt Touchett brings her to Europe. However, Isabel is adamant about choosing her own destiny, so she doesn't think twice before rejecting two potential suitors. She then finds herself attracted to Gilbert Osmond, who is a cruelty incarnate beneath his façade of elegance and refinement. Isabel's tale of love and betrayal still touches audiences today because of its extreme poignancy.
Henry James OM was an American-born British author born in New York City on 15 April 1843. He is recognized as a crucial figure in the transition from literary realism to literary modernism. Henry James, Sr., an investor, and banker in Albany, was his father. Henry James was medically unfit in 1861 to fight in the American Civil War. For The Nation and Atlantic Monthly, he produced both fiction and nonfiction writing. Later, in 1878, Watch and Ward was published as a book. He left for Paris in 1875 and arrived in London in 1876. The Portrait of a Lady (1878), was released in 1881. He relocated to Sussex in 1897-1898, where he wrote The Turn of the Screw. He wrote The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove, and The Golden Bowl between 1902 and 1904. He received the Order of Merit in 1915 and became a citizen of Great Britain. His memoirs A Small Boy and Others and Notes of a Son and Brother were both published in 1913. He received the Order of Merit in 1915 and became a citizen of Great Britain. He was cremated after passing away on February 28, 1916, in Chelsea, London.
