Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Isabel Archer: Friend or Foe? (Book Review of "The Portrait of a Lady"
Book Review: "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James (American novelist), published 1881
Henry James succeeds in ushering our frustration with Isabel Archer from shortly after we met her, to the very end. His book ends rather too-life like, without resolution, without hope for the future, leaving the reader’s understanding of Isabel "in air". Or, as he says in his notes "en l’air".*
Isabel seems like the perfect heroine. She is poised, intelligent, beautiful, admirable, or so everyone tells us. But her actions and her own words hardly reinforce this view of her. In her own words, her thoughts are small and limited, and yet everyone observes that her ideas have no bound. So who is right? Unfortunately, author Henry James never helped us determine the answer.
This is the third time I've read about Miss Archer. I say Miss Archer for to me she will always be that. Mrs. Osmond, as she later evolved to be, seemed always to be a wrong note in my ear. Miss Archer has potential, opportunity, and adventure in her name. Mrs. Osmond is a trapped, sad, conventional woman. I suppose the true tragedy of this book is that our heroine was in fact both women simultaneously. Perhaps Henry James understood women better than I thought when he poignantly portrayed a woman’s double nature. Her double reality. Her double experience. How many of us are both Miss Archer and Mrs. Osmond? How many of us have unlimited potential that we steadfastly keep under lock and key? Why do we do this? Is it because we do not know our heart? James didn’t think so. It seemed that Isabel (for now we must admit she is both women), clearly knew her heart. Sure, she fell victim at times but she clearly knew what she wanted when she wanted it. I will not pretend to understand what it was she wanted. Three readings of this novel still leave me in the dark. It seems that most of her friends, perhaps all of her friends in the story also never really knew what she wanted. That was little matter to Isabel. In this she never wavered.
So why did Isabel put duty or pride above her freer nature? Was it that so much freedom was too much for her? She hinted at such when she dismayed that she was given such a large fortune by her uncle and it seemed right to her that rather than keep it for herself, she find a poor gentleman (the vile Mr. Osmond) to bequeath it too. She was unsettled in her freedom and found it wanting. She thought that a quiet, settled life as the wife of a gentleman was better, why? I am left with many questions about this heroine.
I would love to know your thoughts. Perhaps if I come to understand her, I shall see myself in a clearer light.
Looking for more?
1. From an essay by Patricia Rohrer, Teachers College, Columbia
“Something terribly human yet terribly flawed about the project of Isabel Archer, the heroine of Henry James' Portrait of a Lady, has always drawn me to this story of one individual's quest for a meaningful life. A spirited and intelligent young woman, Isabel unexpectedly inherits a fortune, freeing her particularly from the need to marry. Defying convention, as well as the aid and advice of her closest friends, Isabel pursues her dream of an "original" life with cool, confident independence.” Continue reading…
2. There is a 1996 movie version of The Portrait of a Lady, starring Nicole Kidman. I haven’t been able to locate a copy but it is directed by Jane Campion who is also the director of The Piano.
3. Pick up your own copy of "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James.
*Henry James, “The Portrait of a Lady”. Penguin Classics Edition, 1984 (original printing 1881), Appendix “From the Notebooks of Henry James”, p. 640
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Henry James succeeds in ushering our frustration with Isabel Archer from shortly after we met her, to the very end. His book ends rather too-life like, without resolution, without hope for the future, leaving the reader’s understanding of Isabel "in air". Or, as he says in his notes "en l’air".*
Isabel seems like the perfect heroine. She is poised, intelligent, beautiful, admirable, or so everyone tells us. But her actions and her own words hardly reinforce this view of her. In her own words, her thoughts are small and limited, and yet everyone observes that her ideas have no bound. So who is right? Unfortunately, author Henry James never helped us determine the answer.
This is the third time I've read about Miss Archer. I say Miss Archer for to me she will always be that. Mrs. Osmond, as she later evolved to be, seemed always to be a wrong note in my ear. Miss Archer has potential, opportunity, and adventure in her name. Mrs. Osmond is a trapped, sad, conventional woman. I suppose the true tragedy of this book is that our heroine was in fact both women simultaneously. Perhaps Henry James understood women better than I thought when he poignantly portrayed a woman’s double nature. Her double reality. Her double experience. How many of us are both Miss Archer and Mrs. Osmond? How many of us have unlimited potential that we steadfastly keep under lock and key? Why do we do this? Is it because we do not know our heart? James didn’t think so. It seemed that Isabel (for now we must admit she is both women), clearly knew her heart. Sure, she fell victim at times but she clearly knew what she wanted when she wanted it. I will not pretend to understand what it was she wanted. Three readings of this novel still leave me in the dark. It seems that most of her friends, perhaps all of her friends in the story also never really knew what she wanted. That was little matter to Isabel. In this she never wavered.
So why did Isabel put duty or pride above her freer nature? Was it that so much freedom was too much for her? She hinted at such when she dismayed that she was given such a large fortune by her uncle and it seemed right to her that rather than keep it for herself, she find a poor gentleman (the vile Mr. Osmond) to bequeath it too. She was unsettled in her freedom and found it wanting. She thought that a quiet, settled life as the wife of a gentleman was better, why? I am left with many questions about this heroine.
I would love to know your thoughts. Perhaps if I come to understand her, I shall see myself in a clearer light.
Looking for more?
1. From an essay by Patricia Rohrer, Teachers College, Columbia
“Something terribly human yet terribly flawed about the project of Isabel Archer, the heroine of Henry James' Portrait of a Lady, has always drawn me to this story of one individual's quest for a meaningful life. A spirited and intelligent young woman, Isabel unexpectedly inherits a fortune, freeing her particularly from the need to marry. Defying convention, as well as the aid and advice of her closest friends, Isabel pursues her dream of an "original" life with cool, confident independence.” Continue reading…
2. There is a 1996 movie version of The Portrait of a Lady, starring Nicole Kidman. I haven’t been able to locate a copy but it is directed by Jane Campion who is also the director of The Piano.
3. Pick up your own copy of "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James.
*Henry James, “The Portrait of a Lady”. Penguin Classics Edition, 1984 (original printing 1881), Appendix “From the Notebooks of Henry James”, p. 640
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Friday, August 17, 2007
Movie Review: Woman Sesame Oil Maker
This 1993 Mandarin film with English subtitles depicts a woman who builds a successful business but who still has to balance taking care of her mentally handicap son and drunk husband. Xiang, a woman who is about 35 years runs a very small sesame seed oil company. She and her children process the oil by hand. Her fortunes change drastically when a female Japanese investor decides to export the oil. This movie depicts a strong, self-sufficient business woman who is still trapped by excessive family responsibilities and her culture.
I found this movie at my local library or you can find it on Amazon.com
This film was directed by Chinese director Xie Fei. It won "Best Actress" at the Chicago International Film Festival and a "Golden Bear" at the Berlin International Film Festival.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
I found this movie at my local library or you can find it on Amazon.com
This film was directed by Chinese director Xie Fei. It won "Best Actress" at the Chicago International Film Festival and a "Golden Bear" at the Berlin International Film Festival.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Eating Spinach Salads Could Rob Bones of Calcium
Do you love spinach salads? If so, you could be depleting the calcium in your bones.
I know, spinach is supposed to be good for you and it is, but uncooked spinach contains oxalic acid which prevents calcium absorption.
The excellent cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats recommend that we only eat spinach salads occasionally. If you cook the spinach, then the oxalic acid is neutralized and does not interfere with calcium absorption. Nourish Traditions is an excellent resource with numerous explanations of the nutritional benefits of whole foods.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
I know, spinach is supposed to be good for you and it is, but uncooked spinach contains oxalic acid which prevents calcium absorption.
The excellent cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats recommend that we only eat spinach salads occasionally. If you cook the spinach, then the oxalic acid is neutralized and does not interfere with calcium absorption. Nourish Traditions is an excellent resource with numerous explanations of the nutritional benefits of whole foods.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
World's Shortest Fairy Tale
This fun little story came my way via email.
"Worlds Shortest Fairytale"
Once upon a time, a girl asked a guy, "Will you marry me?" The guy said
"No" and the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, drank
martinis with friends, always had a clean house, never had to cook, had a
closet full of shoes and handbags, stayed skinny, and was never farted on.
"The End."
Once upon a time, a girl asked a guy, "Will you marry me?" The guy said
"No" and the girl lived happily ever after and went shopping, drank
martinis with friends, always had a clean house, never had to cook, had a
closet full of shoes and handbags, stayed skinny, and was never farted on.
"The End."
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Edith Wharton - American Novelist
Edith Wharton was an American Novelist who is most famous for "The Age of Innocence" (1920) which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 and "The House of Mirth" (1905) and "Ethan Frome" (1911).
She lived from January 24, 1862- August 11, 1937
Her Contemporaries & Companions Included:
President Theodore Roosevelt, and authors Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, and Earnest HemingwayThe Combination of Her Sense of Design and Her Writing TalentsShe began her writing career with the book "The Decoration of Houses" (1897) which became a surprise success.
It is hard to imagine a time before Martha Stewart, Sunset Magazine, and The Travel Channel, but Edith Wharton was the pioneer of these programs we are now addicted to. Wharton gave readers their first glance into home design and landscape design. She focused on off-the-beaten path Italian villas. She rode in some of the first automobiles all throughout the Italian countryside to find and recreate glorious Italian gardens.
One of her most exciting projects, and of which she stated was an even better accomplishment than "The House of Mirth" was the design and building of her summer estate home in Lenox, Massachusetts called "The Mount".
You can tour this fantastic home and understand the writer even more by walking in her footsteps.
Tour Edith Wharton Estate "The Mount".
A modern, gorgeous book about Edith and her journeys in Italy is "Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens" by Vivian Russell. This is a coffee table sized book.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
She lived from January 24, 1862- August 11, 1937
Her Contemporaries & Companions Included:
President Theodore Roosevelt, and authors Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, and Earnest HemingwayThe Combination of Her Sense of Design and Her Writing TalentsShe began her writing career with the book "The Decoration of Houses" (1897) which became a surprise success.
It is hard to imagine a time before Martha Stewart, Sunset Magazine, and The Travel Channel, but Edith Wharton was the pioneer of these programs we are now addicted to. Wharton gave readers their first glance into home design and landscape design. She focused on off-the-beaten path Italian villas. She rode in some of the first automobiles all throughout the Italian countryside to find and recreate glorious Italian gardens.
One of her most exciting projects, and of which she stated was an even better accomplishment than "The House of Mirth" was the design and building of her summer estate home in Lenox, Massachusetts called "The Mount".
You can tour this fantastic home and understand the writer even more by walking in her footsteps.
Tour Edith Wharton Estate "The Mount".
A modern, gorgeous book about Edith and her journeys in Italy is "Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens" by Vivian Russell. This is a coffee table sized book.
About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com
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