Analysis of the reasons of the collapse of the protagonists in Henry James’“Daisy Miller” and “The Portrait of a Lady”

Bektaş, Esra (2011) Analysis of the reasons of the collapse of the protagonists in Henry James’“Daisy Miller” and “The Portrait of a Lady”. Other thesis, TED ANKARA COLLEGE FOUNDATION HIGH SCHOOL.

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Abstract

Henry James, with not only his realistic manner but also with his feministic point of view, is a well-known writer of 19th century. He combines the themes realism and feminism in two of his works: “Daisy Miller” and “The Portrait of a Lady”. In both novels, one of the major themes is “the cultural differences of New World-Old World” which is investigated as the main reason of the collapse of the protagonists. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to analyze how the clashing values of America and Europe, in regard to the protagonists’ perception of independence, lead the way to their collapse. The ideas of the protagonist, Daisy Miller, an innocent American lady, greatly conflict with the European values, while Isabel Archer, the protagonist of the Portrait of a Lady, is also a young American woman who struggles with the conflicts she faces during her visits to Europe. The affairs of the protagonists are drawn firstly through a denial process which is entailed from the American-European clash, then through a phase in which the protagonists become the concern for the society. Therefore in this paper, the collapse of Daisy Miller and Isabel Archer is analyzed through their “being new in Europe”, “becoming gossip in town”, “denying the requirements of European culture”, “acting independent” and their inevitable tragic end arising from the “clash between the Old and the New World”. With these investigations, it is beyond dispute that the cultural differences would affect the choices of the young ladies. As a consequence of their choosing independence over being suitable for the society, reflected with Henry James’ feministic approach, they face various conflicts and problems. So this work, in a chronological sequence, proves how the choices are affected by different cultural values and how these decisions bring protagonists’ self-destruction.

Item Type: Thesis (Other)
Additional Information: Supervisor’s Name: Hacer İnce IB Notu: B
Uncontrolled Keywords: Henry James, Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PE English
P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Depositing User: Kamil Çömlekçi
Date Deposited: 23 Jun 2011 06:10
Last Modified: 12 Apr 2019 10:36
URI: http://tedprints.tedankara.k12.tr/id/eprint/164

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