The Portrait Of A Lady Has Been Recognized As A Tragic Novel Of The First Order And Isabel Archer As One Of The Most Significant And Appealing Of Heroines. She Represents, In Many Ways, Specifically American Values And Pays The Price For A Specifically American Type Of Mistake. Isabel Archer Aspires To A Life Which Will Transcend, In Freedom And Range Of Experience, That Which European Young Women Of Her Day Were Brought Up To Expect. Her Whole Approach To Life Raises Questions Which, In Her Age, Relate To The Role Of Young Women Everywhere. The Story Of What Happens To Her Has The Scale Of Interest That Belongs To Women In All Ages, And Isabel Could Well Be Described As A Woman For All Seasons. It Is Henry James’ Portrayal Of Her Character In Relation To The Background And Environment, Her Pride In Her Independence, Her Romanticism In The Possibilities Of Freedom, And An Insufficient Knowledge Of Life That Make The Portrait Of A Lady A Perennial Classic For All Times. About The Author: Henry James, American novelist and literary critic, was born in 1843 in New York City. Psychologist-philosopher William James was his brother. By the age of 18, he had lived in France, England, Switzerland, Germany, and New England. In 1876, he moved to London, having decided to live abroad permanently. James was a prolific writer; his writings include 22 novels, 113 tales, 15 plays, approximately 10 books of criticism, and 7 travel books. His best-known works include Daisy Miller, The Turn of the Screw, The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and The American Scene.