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Sügavate psühholoogiliste romaanidega kuulsust kogunud Ameerika päritolu kirjanik ja kriitik Henry James (1843–1916) oli arvamusel, et hea kirjandusteos peaks olemuselt sarnanema intelligentse vestlusega. James, kes veetis suure osa oma elust Euroopas, kajastab oma teostes tihtipeale Vana ja Uue Maailma vastuolusid ja eripärasid.
Henry Jamesi hinnatakse kõrgelt eelkõige oskuse pärast kirjeldada paeluvalt oma värvikate karakterite kõige sügavamaid iseloomujooni ja omadusi, kasutades selleks aeg-ajalt ka pisut mängulist huumorit ning demonstreerides ühtlasi suurepärast keelekasutust.
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Through his works, notably The Portrait of a Lady, James had bridged the gap between literary Realism and literary Modernism. This shows through the fact that he was not writing to please his readers. He believed that the novel ought to address the mature adult, and so had indulged in an honest analysis of some of the era's most controversial topics such as sex. This novel is arguably one of the most prominent works featuring the international theme. This was in some degree the main subject of 19th century American literature. Writers of that period had considered it their duty to define the relation of their country to Europe. They wanted to define the American culture as neither mixed nor influenced by European countries. The novel is also one of the earliest Modernist works. It features the stream-of-consciousness technique, the use of interior monologues, unreliable narration, and the focus on the psychological state of the characters. Other modernist features in the novel include the use of fragmented content, and the decision to end the story on an ambiguous note. At the end, Isabel returns to her husband; maybe on account of the attachment she had formed towards Pansy or because she could not admit her mistakes before the whole world. In this regard James never supplies a definite answer and leaves the matter in the hands of his readers instead.