The Portrait of the Lady lacks the wit of Jane Austen and the profundity of Marcel Proust, ending up as a fine, but ultimately forgettable depiction of the life of aristocracy in 19th century England, and their clashes with American culture.

I can’t help but visualize this being something equivalent to a 19th century telenovela that happened to be ascribed literary merit just because of how old it was.

Positive:	Negative:
Provides some insight on the life of 19th century British aristocracy	Dim-witted, annoying protagonist
Relatively profound characters	Characters aren’t all that interesting
	Nothing much really ever happens in the plot