Isolation And Intimacy: Isabel's Psychological Predicaments In The Portrait Of A Lady

Henry James is a prolific American-British writer during the period of early modernism,known for his style of psychological realism.His literary career can generally be divided into three periods,of which the first period(from 1875 to the mid1880s)culminated with the masterpiece,The Portrait of a Lady.It is a profound study of a young American woman,Isabel Archer,who got trapped in a marriage plot in Europe which challenged her pursuit of independence and freedom.James adapts an experimental narration point of view in his writing.He creates the “centre of consciousness” technique which focus on showing the character's inner thoughts rather than telling the story.James' achievement in psychological novels reminds me of a psychological approach to Isabel's marriage predicaments and personal growth in The Portrait of a Lady.In this thesis,I will analyze James' treatment of Isabel's psychological predicaments based on Erikson's developmental theory.I will elaborate how the unresolved predicaments of both overcoming isolation and developing intimacy lead her to the imprisonment in tragic marriage.In the first chapter,the manifestation of Isabel's isolation will be scrutinized from two aspects: her upbringing in Albany and her transcultural experience in Europe.The second chapter will focus upon Isabel's inability to develop intimacy from both physical and spiritual perspective.In the third chapter,I will explicate the puzzling but enlightening ending of the novel where inevitability of her return to tragic fate will be analyzed due to the unresolved psychological predicaments.The psychological approach can make the most of Henry James' unique style of psychological reality.It also allows us a brand new interpret of the controversial ending of the story based on textual analysis.Besides,Isabel's predicaments is still thoughtprovoking today— the problems of traumatic isolation and defective intimacy can still be found among modern people.Hopefully this thesis will be of some assistance in unveiling Isabel's psychological predicaments,as well as revealing James' deep concern over individuals' psychological development.