| Henry James is one of the most important British/American novelists and critics. The Portrait of a Lady, one of Henry James's early works, is famous for its delicate psychological description. Since the time it was published this novel has been a hot topic for critics and popular among readers both at home and abroad. In this novel, the author vividly presents the heroine's complex psychological process from innocence to maturity. This thesis attempts to interpret the novel as a Bildungsroman.Bildungsroman, also called novel of initiation, originates in Germany. It is a key and common literary form in western literature. Briefly speaking, this type of novels deal with the protagonist's impingement in society from an innocent child or youth to a mature adult. Through his or her initiation into society the protagonist learns the complications of social relations or gets an "epiphany" about life and determines to make some change, which is often the end of the novel.This thesis represents the growth of the heroine according to the pattern of Bildungsroman: innocence-initiation into society (tempted by experience)-epiphany. There are altogether seven parts in this thesis, with five parts coming between the introduction and the conclusion.The first part is the introduction, in which the background knowledge of the author Henry James and the plot of the novel The Portrait of a Lady are briefly introduced. In addition, this part introduces the purpose or significance and the general organization of the thesis.Chapter one is the literature review. It focuses on the studies of The Portrait of a Lady at home and abroad, which are grouped into three kinds. The first group studies the novel as an autobiography of the author; while the second group takes the structure and techniques of the novel as an object of study; the last group examines the protagonist, which mainly centers on the end of the novel, that is, the return of the heroine. It is found that very few of the studies mentioned above have examined the heroine's dynamic process of growth, and this just offers a perspective for this thesis.Chapter two mainly concentrates on Bildungsroman. In this part, the origin, definitions and features of Bildungsroman are introduced. Based on this knowledge, it is concluded that the novel in question is a typical Bildungsroman. That's why this thesis studies the novel in view of Bildungsroman.In chapter three, the thesis discusses the heroine's innocent period. Her belief in independence, her strong curiosity for the world and knowledge, and her active imagination determine that she should be an idealist. Her knowledge about the world is restricted to those beautiful and pleasant things. But from the dark side of the world she has a natural shrinking. Chapter four concerns Isabel's experience in Europe, that is, her initiation into society. Here, in her journey of exploring the world, Isabel meets some good guides as well as bad ones who exert a great influence on her life. Good guides mean to increase some wind to her "sail"; while the bad ones, though getting her into an unfortunate marriage, make her get a complete and real experience of life. Just the complex experience in Europe makes the idealist girl who used to fly high above the reality drop to the ground.Chapter five, in consideration of the "epiphany" typical of Bildungsroman, analyzes Isabel's meditation. From her psychological movement one can clearly see the heroine's maturity in mind and her moral integrity. Firstly, as to suffering, Isabel takes it as an active condition which gives her strength to do. Moreover, she has abandoned the extreme individual freedom she used to believe in and begins to respect the social conventions especially the sanctities of marriage. Last but not least, she begins to emphasize the importance of responsibility for her own act, others and the society. Based on the knowledge above, Isabel finally chooses to return to her unhappy marriage and take her duty.The last part is the conclusion. In her innocent period Isabel is full of curiosity and imagination for the whole world as well as her own future. Thus she insists on getting a deep understanding of the world and life by her own experience. Her experience in the complicated European society, and both the good and bad guides she encounters lead her to grow gradually and make her comprehensively reflect life, society and her own duty. Her experience in the complicated European society has turned her into a mature lady with ideal individualism from an innocent and arrogant girl who esteems her own liberty. This research thinks that Isabel's maturity lies in her adding the components of obligations and morality into her previous extreme individualism, and thus she has achieved her perfection of personality and accomplished a harmony between her self and society. Thus, in the end she is brave to accept the test of life and take on her duty. This is not a passive submitting to life, but a sensible and intelligent decision transcending her self and instinct of desire. Her heroic spirit of being responsible for her own act and her quest for harmony are admirable and can be a good example for one's own living in a society full of competitions and hypocrisy, especially for the young who blindly emphasize their own freedom without regarding to social conventions. As a socially living being, while insisting one's own individuality, one should also take his or her social responsibility and abide to social ethics. Only in this way can one keep a balance between one's self and the society he lives in and achieve a harmonious living, which is the very complete and active life.
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