Henry James was 38 when he published Portrait of a Lady in 1881. Although James would continue to write and publish for decades, Portrait of a Lady was his most lucrative book and his most popular novel. Michael Gorra’s insightful Portrait of a Novel takes the reader step-by-step through the process of Henry James writing his great novel. Along the way, Gorra shows how George Eliot influenced Portrait of a Lady. Gorra also compares the original 1881 version of Portrait of a Lady with James’s revised New York Edition version published in 1906. I found myself delighted by Gorra’s analysis of Henry James’s death scene of Mr. Touchett: no prayers, no clergy, no crying–so unlike typical sentimental Victorian literature death scenes. The Spectator book review scathingly reported Portrait of a Lady was marked by the “cloven foot” of agnosticism.
Gorra also makes connections between other Henry James works: “Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors, and The Golden Bowl all turned on the question of sex outside of marriage.” (p. 157) If you’re in the mood for a well-written story of how a classic novel came to be written, I highly recommend Portrait of a Novel. If you’re a fan of Henry James, this is a must-read!
GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prologue: An Old Man in Rye, p. xiii
Part One : A PREPARATION FOR CULTURE
1.: The Girl in the Doorway, p. 3
2.: A Native of No Country, p. 12
3.: A Superstitious Valuation, p. 31
4.: Along the Thames, p. 45
Part Two : THE MARRIAGE PLOT
5.: Her Empty Chair, p. 57
6.: Proposals, p. 68
7.: An Unmarried Man, p. 77
8.: A London Life, p. 95
9.: The Envelope of Circumstances, p. 105
Part Three : ITALIAN JOURNEYS
10.: Bellosguardo Hours, p. 121
11.: Mr. Osmond, p. 133
12.: Stranieri, p. 141
13.: An Uncertain Terrain, p. 155
14.: A Venetian Interlude, p. 165
15.: Fenimore, p. 174
Part Four : SEX AND SERIALS, THE CONTINENT AND THE CRITICS
16.: Maupassant and the Monkey, p. 191
17.: The Magazines, p. 208
18.: The Roccanera, p. 222
19.: The Art of Fiction, p. 239
pt. Five : PUTTING OUT THE LIGHTS
20.: The Altar of the Dead, p. 257
21.: “I Was Perfectly Free”, p. 268
22.: Working in the Dark, p. 280
23.: The Second Chance, p. 293
24.: Endgame, p. 309
Acknowledgments, p. 335
Sources and Notes, p. 337
Index, p. 365
Putting it on my tbr right away! You know what a Henry James fan girl I am!
Deb, you will find delight in the pages of PORTRAIT OF A NOVEL. I learned a lot about Henry James and his first great book!
I’m not a fan, but the book sounds interesting just the same.
Bill, the process of writing a novel always fascinates me. Michael Gorra tells a great story of how PORTRAIT OF A LADY came into existence.
I think one of the best books I’ve read about James’s creative process–especially how small incidents germinated to create larger fictional events years later–was Colm Toibin’s THE MASTER.
Deb, you’re right: THE MASTER by Colm Toibin is a great window into Henry James’s creative process.
I’ll put it on my list. First I’ll get out my 5-volume Leon Edel biography and reread him on PORTRAIT. I didn’t realize (or remember) that it was his most lucrative book.
Jeff, Henry James couldn’t get his later novels serialized in magazines any more so he lost a lot of income.
Sounds terrific.
Patti, Michael Gorra’s story of the writing of PORTRAIT OF A LADY is very engaging.
George, you sold me another one….
Rick, PORTRAIT OF A NOVEL could be a model for first-class criticism. You’ll love it.
Thanks, but PASS! I have too many already-written books to read to read about how a book was written! Perhaps if I was younger…!
Bob, if you change your mind, you’ll find a wealth of information in PORTRAIT OF A NOVEL.