Henry James Week 3

1. Note down every scene in which Isabel reads a book or thinks about reading or
thinks about books.
- Chapter XVII “she sat down in the same chair again and took up her book, but
without going through the form of opening the volume”
o Represent her intellectual independence, part of a moment where she revels
in her ability to reject “two ardent suitors within a fortnight”
- Chapter XIX, Madame Merle comments “one’s self – for other people – is one’s
expression of one’s self; and one’s house, one’s clothes, the book one reads, the
company one keeps – these things are all expressive.”
o Isabel refutes this, it’s ‘just the other way’ for her. She doesn’t define herself
by external elements, finds it limiting and a barrier. Interesting as her reading
does indeed define her, even if it is as an intellectual independent woman
which she considers to be for herself and no one else – this is still reactive
though.
- Later in the chapter, “she took a solitary walk every day and spent much time in
turning over the books in the library”

Chapter XXIX,

To Osmond the place was painfully ugly; the false colours, the sham splendour,
made him suffer. Isabel had taken in hand a volume of Ampère, presented, on
their arrival in Rome, by Ralph; but though she held it in her lap with her finger
vaguely kept in the place, she was not impatient to go on with her reading. A
lamp covered with a drooping veil of pink tissue-paper burned on the table
beside her and diffused a strange pale rosiness over the scene.

- Osmond preventing her reading

- Even Osmond recognises their relationship as a ‘parenthesis – give us a chapter to
ourselves’
o Interesting as Osmond dominates her actual ‘portrait of a lady’
o ‘don’t you remember my telling you that one ought to make one’s life a work
of art? You looked rather shocked at first; but then I told you that it was
exactly what you seemed to me to be trying to do with your own life’
 Again, title of the book ‘the portrait of a lady’ – her life is indeed what
Osmond has defined it to be, a work of art.

2. Which scene or passage is most important for thinking about Ralph Touchett? Please
analyse it in detail.

Chapter XVII
Ralph opened his eyes; he even blushed a little—his blush being the sign of an
emotion somewhat acute. He remembered that Isabel, in separating from him in
Winchester Square, had repudiated his suggestion that her motive in doing so
was the expectation of a visitor at Pratt’s Hotel, and it was a novel sensation to
him to have to suspect her of duplicity. On the other hand, he quickly said to
himself, what concern was it of his that she should have made an appointment
with a lover? Had it not been thought graceful in every age that young ladies
should make a mystery of such appointments? Ralph made Miss Stackpole a
diplomatic answer. “I should have thought that, with the views you expressed to
me the other day, that would satisfy you perfectly.

- He is the moral centre of the novel, his ailment means he acts as spectator and lives
vicariously through Isabel
- As such, his opinions and thoughts about people are almost always accurate, yet
here he has been proven wrong in his complete idolisation of Isabel.
- “novel sensation” – he is rarely wrong
- And yet even when lied to, even when his wholeheartedly positive opinion of her is
proved slightly wrong, he still defends her even to himself
o He is the strongest advocate of Isabel remaining independent, so much that
this advocacy even permeates his relationship with her

3. Choose one scene or passage in which Madame Merle plays a part. What ideas,
images, feelings and words are used to characterise her?

Chapter 22

4. Choose one scene in which light – whether natural or artificial – plays a part. What
does light represent in the scene? What ideas and feelings are associated with it?
How does its presence help us to understand the characters in the scene, the
relationships between them, and the significance of the scene as a whole?

Having made this excellent point he became quiet, but the next time that Ralph
was with him he again addressed himself to conversation. The nurse had gone to
her supper and Ralph was alone with him, having just relieved Mrs. Touchett,
who had been on guard since dinner. The room was lighted only by the
flickering fire, which of late had become necessary, and Ralph’s tall shadow
was projected upon the wall and ceiling, with an outline constantly varying but
always grotesque.

- Light revealing his sickness