Regina Barreca Libri

[Penguin Readers Level 3]When Isabel Archer, a young American woman with looks, wit, and imagination, arrives in Europe, she sees the world as `a place of brightness, of free expression, of irresistible action'. She turns aside from suitors who offer her their wealth and devotion to follow her own path. But that way leads to disillusionment and a future as constricted as `a dark narrow alley with a dead wall at the end'. In a conclusion that is one of the most moving in modern fiction, Isabel makes her final choice. The Portrait of a Lady is the masterpiece of James's middle period, and Isabel is perhaps his most engaging central character. This edition provides a challenging new introduction and detailed notes; the text is that of the New York Edition and includes Henry James's own Preface.

With wit, humor, and an engaging style, Barreca considers the evolving roles of husbands and wives in American culture, and reveals how the static myths that many women cling to can lead to unhappiness in today's changing world.

Kniha lehkou formou s množstvím odkazů na literaturu i filmografii popisuje možnosti vyrovnávání se s křivdami, formy společensky únosné agresivity i fakt, že touha po odplatě je naprosto přirozená. Vhodné je, že neposkytuje návody a rady, jak naplnit pomstychtivost. Obětem nespravedlnosti může její čtení ulehčit snášet situaci.