The Portrait of a Lady, James's first masterpiece, was serialized in Macmillan's Magazine in England and in The Atlantic Monthly in America between the fall of 1880 and the winter of 1881 just prior to its publication in book form. Surpassing his previous fiction in the subtlety and depth of its characterization, it depicts one of the great heroines of the nineteenth century and has a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Its themes are of enduring interest, its social and psychological observation is acutely insightful and it is written in a rich, witty and lively style.

Set in the 1870s, The Portrait of a Lady focuses on Isabel Archer, an attractive and charming young woman from Albany who is invited to Europe by her wealthy Aunt Lydia Touchett.

When the story opens, she is visiting Gardencourt, the Touchetts' country estate in England. Eager to see more of the...