The beauty of perceiving isabel archer : Henry James's style of portraiture in the portrait of a lady

Abstract EN

The aim of this paper is to reveal the painterly Impressionist and Cubist techniques used in Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady, which was published first in serial form in 1880-1881 and substantially revised for the New York Edition twenty seven years later.

The paper argues that through the evolution of the portraits of Isabel Archer, we see the evolution of James's characteristic consciousness as well as his stylistic techniques.

James turns from the overtly Impressionist techniques to the more experimental Cubist techniques in order to accurately reflect Isabel's inner state.

Interestingly, James uses these techniques to a different effect precisely when a gap threatens the novel, such as the scenes involving sight and consciousness in the novel.