On The Cognitive Choices Of Isabel Archer In The Portrait Of A Lady

Choices are the key issue in The Portrait of a Lady, each of which is a turning point on Isabel Archer's way to pursue freedom and self-realization. Many suppositions and speculations on her choices, especially the final one, lead to the divarication towards Isabel's characteristics in The Portrait of a Lady. Up till now, the studies on the choices of Isabel Archer are inadequate, with the focus on four significant choices—two refusals of proposal, the acceptance of marriage, and the final return, while neglecting another important choice—following her aunt to Europe, which is a key turning point in Isabel's life. The studies on The Portrait of a Lady go to the field of feminism, psycho-analysis, aesthetics, Emerson's self-reliance, or cultural contradiction and fusion, while most of the studies focus on some of the choices, but rarely consider them as a whole and analyze them theoretically and systematically. This thesis focuses on her choices from a new perspective, and with the application of the theory of knowledge of dialectical materialism, reanalyzes Isabel's choices, explores their essence and reveals the inner consistency of Isabel's choices that prong her romantic life.When these choices are pronged into a line from the first choice of leaving for Europe following her aunt to the final choice of return to her husband, they can be found in accordance with the process of cognition. This thesis proposes that Isabel's choices, made by her existing knowledge from previous experiences, are cognitive and consistent. This thesis deals with those choices by dividing them into three stages: the choice of leaving for Europe—the process of cognition from knowledge to practice, the choices of marriage—constant practices and the final choice of return to her husband—the process of cognition from practice to knowledge.The first choice of leaving for Europe is the practice of Isabel's existing knowledge. She has formed her own theories before she chooses to leave for Europe. Isabel, greatly influenced by her father and the environment she lives in, gets knowledge from the direct experiences—her childhood's experiences and knowledge from the indirect experience—reading a variety of books, which is the reason that she is so eager to experience by herself. Her following choices of marriage can be considered as the real practices of the theories in her mind. Isabel's increasingly clear knowledge of hierarchy and patriarchy is, respectively, the exact reason for her refusal of Lord Warburton and Caspar Goodwood's proposals. She knows such kinds of marriage will threaten her freedom and independence undoubtedly; while the acceptance of Osmond's proposal is due to her knowledge that the marriage with Osmond is a perfectly ideal one and in accordance with what she pursues. With the development of cognition, the content of practice and knowledge rises to a higher level. After a series of experiences, especially the choice of marrying Osmond which turns out to be disappointing and miserable, the knowledge of freedom and independence becomes clearer in Isabel's mind. She is no more sensible and definite than before when she chooses to return. She has experienced enough, even suffered enough, from which she has got new knowledge of freedom and independence to choose and control her own fate within the restrictions and limits of society, meanwhile has maintained the nobility a lady should possess, fulfilled her promises and duties, all of which, in her eyes, are undoubtedly a perfect fulfillment of self. Therefore, the final choice is the practice based on her higher level of knowledge, which is not passive but rather positive, living up to her will and constant pursuit. This thesis also proposes that for Isabel marriage is not contradictory to her freedom; on the contrary, marriage is a way for her to achieve her freedom, an indispensable experience for the cognition of self, life and world.Henry James's deliberate arrangement of her choices of marriage tends to present the growth and maturity of a lady. As to what on earth Isabel constantly pursues, this thesis applies the methodology of feminist criticism based on the novel's background of Victorian Period. Her final choice of return shows that she decides to confront the miserable marriage by herself instead of by the aid of another man or escape, which reveals her spirit of self-independence and freedom of choice. Such kind of independence and freedom is what Isabel constantly pursues, though too ideal in reality, for her it is a kind of self-fulfillment.So far few researches on The Portrait of a Lady have stretched to the field of cognition, thus the application of the theory of knowledge provides a new angle of view.