Title: The Conclusion to "The Portrait of a Lady" Re-examined
Abstract: TN AN ENTRY IN HIS NOTEBOOK early in i88i, while Portrait of 1a Lady was being serialized in both American and English magazines, Henry James accurately forecast most common criticisms his novel would receive. There has been want of action in earlier part,' he wrote, and, The obvious criticism of course will be that it not finished-that I have not seen heroine to end of her situation-that I have left her en l'air.2 Certainly, critics have delighted in scholarly discussions and debates concerning artistic merits of open-ended nature of James's novel. Leon Edel notes that readers today-particularly those in search of happy ending-tend to feel that central drama of Isabel's life remains unresolved.3 Most critics today, however, including Edel himself, view ending as logical concluding brush stroke needed to complete portrait. Laurence Holland, for example, sees ending as second of two framing scenes in novel: first occurs in early spring of I871 in Albany when Isabel awaiting Caspar Goodwood, just before Mrs. Touchett arrives; second occurs in late May of I877 when Caspar suddenly appears before Isabel at Gardencourt and receives his inevitable dismissal. By this device, says Holland, the pattern completed.4 F. W. Dupee feels that Isabel's decision to return to Rome is an austere decision but inescapable.5 Oscar Cargill also thinks ending inevitable: How else could James have closed his novel?' And R. W. Stallman calls ending a foregone conclusion.7
Publication Year: 1969
Publication Date: 1969-03-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 3
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