Biblical Archetypes In The Portrait Of A Lady

The American writer Henry James (1843-1916), is generally considered the master of the psychological realistic novels during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Portrait of a Lady is universally acknowledged as his masterpiece during his early writing career. It has aroused much attention and received criticism in literary circle ever since its publication in 1881. Many critics have adopted various methods of criticism to figure out their own profound interpretations of The Portrait. Yet few critics have employed the archetypal method to analyze it, especially its ending. This thesis just attempts to use Frye's archetypal criticism to probe into the Biblical archetypes in the light and dark settings, good and evil characters and the themes:paradise lost and regained in The Portrait. Therefore, archetypal analysis, especially the Biblical archetypes, might be quite a helpful method to discover the theme of the novel and to reveal the Henry James' religious view and his unique Jamesian salvation.Though Isabel's surroundings are in the dark, her inner states are in the light. The sunshine of Jamesian salvation sheds light on her spiritual world which is contrary to her wasteland of social world. Isabel's final return to her marriage is Jamesian salvation which gives her spiritual strength to grasp the true meaning of life. In order to see the light, one must go through the dark; to experience the eternal happiness, one has to transcend the temporal suffering. Therefore, The Portrait demonstrates the writer's ultimate care for human and his desire to look for spiritual Eden. We hopefully believe that the Jesus'light in Isabel Archer will glory her waste land someday.