The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

The Portrait of a Lady follows the travels and fate of an independent but naïve young American, Isabel Archer, as she encounters the charms and treachery of the Old World and its inhabitants in the late 1800s. In its exploration of the attitudes of American and British culture, it illustrates a lifestyle of great wealth, in which friendships and love interests are often based on monetary gain. Female characters are empowered to think and choose for themselves, sometimes with negative consequences.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.