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The Portrait of a Lady is regarded as the masterpiece of Henry James’s entire literary work dealing with the international theme. Under the theme, James, as a lifetime transatlantic traveler, uses manners as an interesting subject of study in contrasting American and European civilizations. He examines these two distinct cultures by presenting the manners of each world and showing how these manners clash and are mixed in the international scene. In this novel, the manners of the innocent anarchic and independent Isabel, who lacks social experience, reveal the cultural level of a young and uncivilized America. While the outspoken and excessive manners of Henrietta Stackpole embody a militant and provincial Americanism, Madam Merle, who absorbs European social norms without criticism, exemplifies another extreme case of provincialism. The ideal cosmopolitan manners are displayed by Mr. Touchett and his son Ralph, who apply a liberal, balanced, and flexible approach in the face of the international conflict of manners by adopting European culture in a practical way while preserving their American spirit.