Established in 1949

A Research Assignment
Submitted to
Department of English, Faculty of Arts
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara.

As a Partial Requirement for

The Degree of Master of Arts in English

Importance of Independence; in the life of female protagonist,

In Henry James’s “The Portrait of a lady” &
“Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd”:
with Psychoanalytic Approach.

Submitted by
MANISHA JOSHIYA (2017033800072916)

Under the Supervision of

Dr. Rajesh Bharvad
Department of English, Faculty of Arts
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara.

March 2021
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Table of Contents

Sr.No. Contents Page No.

1 Introduction 01

2 Annotated Bibliography 02

3 Related Literature Review 06

4 Research Gaps 08

5 Conclusion 09

6 A Select Bibliography 10
 1.

INTRODUCTION

Humans are social being, which is motivated primarily by social urges. Every person has freedom of choices, but

still there is an invisible unbalance between in every Social Class and Gender. As a person the thing we all gave

importance to is our own Independence, and no one is in favor of to give upon on his or her own independence.

Every time, when someone interact with society and its norms there is always a conflict between a person and his

or her moral values/ society norms. Every people has different characteristics form other, they behave like what

actually they are as a human being which is one’s personality. Personality is the set of characteristics that each

person developed with them and thus, personality influence how one should behave and as well as one’s motives.

Personality is the one who makes us to react on certain situations. Psychoanalytic theory was first laid out by

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) in the late 19th century. Psychoanalytic theory was often used to analyze a literary

work, a literary work is appropriate to be analyzed on the basis of human psychology in literature.

In the novel of Henry James’s “The Portrait of a Lady” and Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd” both

were published seven years apart by authors but the plot or main theme of novels were very much alike. All the

similarities in theme, plot, characterization and idea suggested that Henry James was must be influenced by the

earlier work of Thomas Hardy. In the both novels “The Portrait of a Lady” and “Far from the Madding Crowd”,

explores the conflict between the individual and society by examining the life of Isabel Archer and Bathsheba

Everdene. Both Authors chooses a woman as a central character, and defines her as a woman, who is not according

to a patriarchal society and doesn’t follow its social norms blindly. Both novels revolves around the story Isabel

and Bathsheba, both were depicted as an Independent women, those doesn’t want to give up on easily on their life.

Both the women, Isabel and Bathsheba think if they marry someone then they may be loose their independence.

Losing own independence over a man is not worthy for any person. Isabel Archer and Bathsheba want a man who

will understand them and also gave equally importance to their independence too. At the end they have to choose

between their independence and to full the demands of society or their social norms.
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Blum, H. P. Masochism, the ego ideal, and the psychology of women. In H. P. Blum, Female psychology:

Contemporary psychoanalytic views. New York: International Universities Press, 1997.

In this article, Blum explain, Psychoanalytic advances have led to refinement and reformulation of early models of

female personality development. Masochism was taken as a point of departure for a study of the psychology of

women and earlier hypotheses of a masochistic and inferior female psychic structure. Masochism is a residue of

unresolved infantile conflict and is neither essentially feminine nor a valuable component of mature female

function and character. This article helps to understand about the felling and emotions of both the character Isabel

Archer and Bathsheba Everdene, and it will support to the statement why both female chooses to be in this kind of

a relationship with their husband, even after knowing the fact that they are unhappy in this marriage.

II. Freud, Sigmund. The Ego and the Id (Original title, Das Ich und das Es): A Prominent paper. Internationaler

Psycho-analytischer Verlag (Vienna), W.W. Norton & Company, 1923.

In this book, Freud gave a wide overview on the human psyche, outlining his theories of the psychoanalytic of the

id, ego, and the super ego which is of fundamental importance in the development of psychoanalysis. Freud

suggests that every action of man is because of two other parts of his mind, these parts are the Superego and the id.

According to Freud, the id has the greatest influence on our lives; this part of our mind contains most of our sexual

desires and all other activities that we passionately pursued. Freud also states that these desires of our lives mainly

remained hidden or unexplored because we were too ashamed to face them and also unable to share it with other

peoples. As a result, our mind itself kept deep down these desires in our subconscious mind. This book will

provide useful information to understand about the human personality and human behavior. It provides brief

description to understand about the behavior of female protagonist in the novel of Henry James’s “The Portrait of a

Lady” and Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd”, and also helps to understand the conflict between the

Id (desire of self independence) and the Superego (marry a man and get settled, which is our moral values or social

norms) of Isabel Archer and Bathsheba Everdene.

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III. Hardy, Thomas. Far from the Madding Crowd: A Novel. Cornhill Magazine, 1874.

Far from the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy’s novel, originally published as a serial for Cornhill Magazine.

Hardy was a Victorian poet and novelist writer in the realist tradition. Like most of his other works, this novel also

explores rural Victorian-era English society. This novel revolves around the female protagonist Bathsheba

Everdene, A young woman who has inherited a large farm from her uncle, became the centre of the attention of

three men. All these three man Gabriel Oak, Mr. Boldwood, Troy, wants to marry Bathsheba but she doesn’t love

any of them. It’s the story love and Scandal just as relevant today as it was over a more than hundred years ago.

Bathsheba doesn’t want to marry because somewhere she also knows about the truth that if she marries then she

would pay this by give up on her freedom. This novel describes lot of about the human behaviors and a man’s

nature. It provides to understand and correlate this novel with Freud’s theory of Psyche, a conflict between the id

(desires of both Bathsheba and other three mans) and the superego (Bathsheba: Settled with a man and Gabriel, Mr.

Boldwood, Troy: to get your love of your life).

IV. Imene, Ouadah. “Freedom and morality in Henry James’s Novel The portrait of a lady”: Theses, 2017.

In this thesis, it includes and surrounds all of the cultural and social backgrounds of the American nineteenth

century, highlighting the positive and negative aspects of life and determining a general new view of Victorian

society. Henry James has discussed many issues, tackling several themes in his portrait of a lady. Freedom and

morality were among his issues to argue; he did not want to change the view of his time including religious, social,

political customs, individual and collective history.

V. James, Henry. The Portrait of a Lady: A Novel. Houghton, Mifflin and company, Boston Macmillan and

company, 1881.

The portrait of a lady, written by Henry James was first published serially in 1880 and 1881, appearing in

Macmillan’s Magazine in England and in Atlantic in the United States. Isabel Archer is widely considered as one

of the James’s most powerful characters. Isabel is a young woman, who came to Albany, New York. After her

mother died, her father raised her and allowing her to educate herself and encouraging her independence. When she

became young, Isabel became imaginative, confident in her own mind, narcissistic. Isabel gets attention from

some man and even she likes Caspar, but her commitment to her independence makes her feel fearful towards him
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as well as, she feels if she would marry Casper the it will lead to sacrifice her freedom. This novel describes about

the personality of female protagonist Isabel Archer, and how she was going to satisfy her desires. There is a

conflict between the Id (desire for not to lose her own independence) and the Superego (to get married or her love

of life); which we saw and understand in the book of Freud’s The Id and the Ego, theory of Psyche.

VI. Shamsi, Mahdi. “A Philosophical Approach towards the Concept of freedom in Henry James’s The Portrait of

Lady” International Journal of Applied linguistics and English Literature, November 1, 2001.

http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.6p.64

This Article “A Philosophical Approach towards the Concept of freedom in Henry James’s The Portrait of Lady,

focuses on the character of female protagonist Isabel Archer who was raised by her father and after his death,

Isabel came to Albany. Since from her childhood she was encouraged by her father for her own independence,

which even after her father died she gave value to her commitments for her independence. At that age, when any

American women were usually engaged or married, James’s main character, Isabel is hoping for a marriage in

which she could still be independent. In this Article, Mahdi Shamsi also describes about the experience of negative

and positive freedom, and about the truth of marital possession. He also describes the perception of freedom in

“The Portrait of Lady” has a connection with Arthur Schopenhauer’s view on the experience of freedom, and there

is a relation between Schopenhauer and Henry James; which analysis the Isabel’s final decision in the last scene.

This essay helps to understand about freedom with wide view and helpful in to described how a person thoughts

and emotions can influence his or her decisions.

VII. Shepeard, Susan. “The Treatment of love and marriage in the Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd”

and Henry James’s “The Portrait of a lady”: Theses, Masters Project. W&M Scholar Works, 1976.

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-dnpm-yx17

Shepeard Susan’s theses “The Treatment of love and marriage in the Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding

Crowd” and Henry James’s “The Portrait of a lady” is based on the theme of love and marriage which is developed

in both the novels. This paper particularly gave attention to both the female protagonist – Bathsheba Everdene and

Isabel Archer, with their strong sense of independence and also both were aware about their poor choices of

husband. Susan also describes that both the novels have different ending, in the novel of Hardy’s the growth of
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Isabel through suffering as opposite to Bathsheba’s static sameness, Hardy’s novel gets an happy ending which is

not found in James’s novel which suggest that Hardy’s work might well influenced James, but James was

influenced by the basic theme with the life of his own particular experiences. This thesis helps to understand

different views on freedom and also describes about the influence of Authors personal life experiences can

manipulate a particular novel ending to something else.

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RELATED LITERATURE REVIEW

In the nineteenth century America was an epoch of great changes and challenges the involve aspects of life, social,

economic, political and cultural aspects particularly literature .writers shift their focuses from the romantic to

celebration and emphasis more on the realistic. They shifted their focuses from a celebration of the individual and

consideration of feelings, passion and emotions to a concept pursuit of objective truth.

The novel of Henry James’s “The Portrait of a Lady” and Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd”, both

the novels were revolves around the female protagonist Isabel Archer and Bathsheba Everdene, both two woman

deals with the same the situations in their life. Isabel and Bathsheba both gave importance to their freedom but

there is always a conflict between their freedom and social norms. Like every other girl, Isabel and Bathsheba want

to get married and to get their love of life but also they don’t want to lose their independence. According to James,

the true artist is the one who writes from an experience which is an immense sensibility; this sensibility is the very

atmosphere of the mind. Having too much of similarity in the two authors’ theories of fiction in the novel The

Portrait of a Lady and Far from the Madding Crowd makes sense that Thomas Hardy would be influence by the

work of Henry James.

A most interesting point of comparing of the two novels in Hardy’s and James’s based on the importance of

independence in the life of Isabel Archer and Bathsheba Everdene with Psychoanalytical approach. Isabel and

Bathsheba both demonstrate a strong sense of independence. In the one of first scene of “Far from the Madding

Crowd”, Hardy describes Bathsheba’s horsemanship as in manner - she rides “in the manner demanded by the

saddle, through hardly expected of a woman”. (p.26). Bathsheba enjoys her position as an independent women and

she doesn’t like to be thought men’s property. In the case of Isabel too, she is also like to be an independent

woman. She likes to judge things on her own and Isabel says that to judge wrong, she think it is more honorable

that not to judge at all, she don’t wish to be a more sheep in the flock. Like Bathsheba, Isabel believes that a

woman should be able to live to herself without the person of another sex. As Isabel tells Ralph Touchett, she is not

a “candidate for adoption”. (p.19). In these two novels, the protagonists Isabel and Bathsheba have similar love

experiences. Like, in the Bathsheba’s life she was courted by Oak, Boldwood, and Troy, but Bathsheba rejected
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Oak because of he is not socially prominent enough for her and Boldwood because he is too insistent on marriage,

and finally she choose Troy over others, Troy the suitor with most of deficiencies, as her husband. In the novel of

The Portrait of a Lady, Isabel like Bathsheba claims that she is looking for the best in a husband and avoids

Goodwood and Warburton, who insist on marring. She also eventually chooses the suitor with the most faults,

Gilbert Osmond. Both Isabel and Bathsheba, have three mans; each of these women has an adoring lover who

watches over her but still both women makes wrong choices of husband and at the end of novel experience

unhappy marriage. Additionally, each of these women has a strong sense of duty which forces both women’s to

remain with their husbands. In the both novels it clearly shows that both women, Isabel and Bathsheba having

conflicts between the Id and the Super ego, here the Id stands for the desire of being a independent women for

Isabel Archer and Bathsheba Everdene, and the Superego stands for social norms, which want every women to be

married to a man in a particular specified age, and our According to our society every women should takes her

responsibility and should fulfill all desires of her man. But, after reading this novel a reader can realize that the

conflict between the Id and the Superego, superego wins somewhere and the role of ego which doesn’t function

well, the function of ego is just to negotiate between both the parties, the Id and the Superego. But here, ego

doesn’t work properly in the end of novel because to other social factors; which leads to both women’s experiences

unhappy marriage which doesn’t having worth full independence and also forced them to stay with their husbands.

May be ending of these novels can be different from now if both female protagonist focuses on what actually is

more important to them and also the role of Ego plays an important role in human personality, if rightfully ego

will able to negotiate between the Id and the Superego then it must be influenced the end of story. Choosing a

partner seems simple but sometimes peoples make this choose worst choice of their life which they deal with it

every day or till they alive. If Isabel Archer and Bathsheba choose someone else rather than suitor, then most

probably their life would be better and also the Id and the Superego would be more satisfied with this decision.
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RESEARCH GAPS

The study of both novels, Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd” and Henry James’s “The portrait of a

lady”, had been done with some approaches with different objectives of the study. The previous studies have some

similar focus on this study, but previous studies are more focused on feminism, treating women as a rational being,

aspects of marriage and others like in the context of independence. Also in the field of Psychological approach

there are researches which are more focuses on the struggle of male characters to gain love from female character.

“The Portrait of a lady” and “Far from the Madding Crowd”, both the novels explores the deep meaning of to be

free women in response to the demands of the social conventions of the late nineteenth century society.

This research argues about the character of Isabel Archer (in the James’s novel “The Portrait of a Lady”) and

Bathsheba (in the Hardy’s novel “Far from the Madding Crowd”), is a nineteenth century character struggles to

assert her social and sexual independence, autonomy, free will in her society; with Psychoanalytical theory of

Psyche. Both the characters have a characteristic that totally contrasts with the cultural development and influence

of her time. A time were the ideal lady was ornamental, useless and domesticated, Isabel and Bathsheba both

refuses to be this ideal, James and Hardy shows the desire of the new women in their consciousness and he shows

how those desires can grow and flourish despite external limitations. Through, the character of Isabel and

Bathsheba, Authors portrays the hope of youth, the desire for change and challenging the nineteenth century

stereotype.

Henry James’s and Thomas Hardy’s have great affection towards expatriate by the values of the old world, which

was reflected in his most of works. As can be seen in the both novels, “Far from the Madding Crowd” and “The

portrait of a lady”, where Isabel and Bathsheba is well integrated with the European community, following its way

of life and ideals.

Through reviewing other researches and studies, as a researcher, found that there is a shortage in the studies that

explore the concept of freedom with Psychoanalytical theory of psyche in the novel of Thomas Hardy’s “Far from

the Madding Crowd” and Henry James’s “The portrait of a lady”. Although May studies have been made

concerning various themes of both the novel, after analyzing three previous done by students having some similar
 3.
concepts in this field from the university of “The Rutherford college”, “William & Mary”, and “Mohamed

Boudiaf”, entitled, “A Philosophical Approach towards the Concept of freedom in Henry James’s The Portrait of

Lady”, “The Treatment of love and marriage in the Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd” and Henry

James’s “The Portrait of a lady”, and “Freedom and morality in Henry James’s novel the portrait of a lady.

Through, all these works tackled many basic and important facts, revealed many truths and realities concerning the

culture, the concept of feminism and gender, as well as, the struggles and improving the self. Still there be

questions not answered, and facts need to be highlighted concerning the nature of social freedom with

psychoanalytical approach. Therefore, this study tries to fill a gap in literature focusing on the expatriate journey in

their attempts to assert their autonomy and social freedom, and with the relevance of psychoanalytical approach

concerning about the conflict between the Id and the Superego, that would benefit the researchers in this field. This

study also concentrates on describing Isabel’s and Bathsheba’s mind and how it shapes her destiny and her

character, and how she fights to prove herself in a male dominated society. This study will be based on the

psychoanalytical method.
 3.
CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis above, it can be conclude that, every women has right to be an independent but somehow

may of women doesn’t actually aware about their rights till now. According to Freud, our childhood plays an

important role in to build up someone’s personality and he also states that there is always a conflict arises between

the Id and the Superego, when there is a libido or arising desire regarding anything, and ego plays an important role

to negotiate between both, the Id and the Superego and also tries to create a balance between the desires and social

norms. Here, in the both novels of Henry James’s “The Portrait of a Lady” and Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the

Madding Crowd”, Ego tries to negotiate between the desires of Isabel Archer and Bathsheba Everdende, of being

independent after marriage too, and social norms, which says every woman should marry a man, and choose to

handle household responsibilities. At the end of novels, Isabel and Bathsheba end up with chooses to marry a suitor

and after their marriage they were forced to lives unwillingly in an unhappy marriage. This type of end shows may

be the Ego doesn’t play his role very well or may be unable to understand what both the females really desires.
 3.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

1. Blum, H. P. Masochism, the ego ideal, and the psychology of women. In H. P. Blum, Female psychology:

Contemporary psychoanalytic views. New York: International Universities Press, 1997.

2. Beattie, Munro. ’’The Many Marriages of Henry Dames.” In LaFranee, Mars ton, ed. Patterns of Commitment

in American Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.

3. Carmen, E. H., Rieker, P. P., & Mills, T. Victims of violence and psychiatric illness. American ]journal of

Psychiatry, 1984

4. Cruea, Susan M., "Changing Ideals of Womanhood during the Nineteenth-Century Woman Movement".

General Studies Writing Faculty Publications, 2005.

http://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/gsw_pub/1

5. Eichenbaum, L., & Orbach, S. (1983). Understanding women: A psychoanalytic approach. New York: Basic

Books.

6. Freud, Sigmund. The Ego and the Id (Original title, Das Ich und das Es): A Prominent paper. Internationaler

Psycho-analytischer Verlag (Vienna), W.W. Norton & Company, 1923.

7. Hardy, Thomas. Far from the Madding Crowd: A Novel. Cornhill Magazine, 1874.

8. Imene, Ouadah. “Freedom and morality in Henry James’s Novel The portrait of a lady”: Theses, 2017.

9. James, Henry. The Portrait of a Lady: A Novel. Houghton, Mifflin and company, Boston Macmillan and

company, 1881.

10. Robins, J. L. The personality cult in psychoanalysis. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 1974.

11. Shamsi, Mahdi. “A Philosophical Approach towards the Concept of freedom in Henry James’s The Portrait of

Lady”. International Journal of Applied linguistics and English Literature, November 1,201.

12. Shepeard, Susan. “The Treatment of love and marriage in the Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd”

and Henry James’s “The Portrait of a lady”: Theses, Masters Project. W&M Scholar Works, 1976.
 3.
13. Stoller, R. J. Primary femininity. In H. P. Blum (Ed.), Female psychology: Contemporary psychoanalytic

views. New York: International Universities Press, 1977.

14. Thompson, C. (1958). A study of the emotional climate of psychoanalytic institutes. Psychiatry.

15. Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy. New York: Grove Press, 1961.

16. Lerman, H. The role of psychoanalytic theory in feminist therapy. Position paper prepared for the Advanced

Feminist Therapy Conference, Vail, CO., 1982.

17. Miller, J. B. (1976). Toward a new psychology of women. Boston: Beacon Press.

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