The Portrait of a Lady

Who and what would you describe as the most antagonistic force in The Portrait of a Lady? What textual evidence supports this selection, and how does it impact Isabel’s life and the novel’s plot?

The Portrait of a Lady takes place in numerous locations: Albany, England, Paris, London, and Italy. What is the significance of these settings? What aspects of description of place recur in spite of travel?

The novel features several American-European expatriates, who vary widely in terms of their experiences and attitudes toward life abroad. How are America and Europe depicted? What social, cultural, and/or gendered tensions exist between the “new” and “old” worlds in the novel?