How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[H]e turned away to find himself, in the hall, facing a lady who met his eyes as with an intention suddenly determined, and whose features—not freshly young, not markedly fine, but on happy terms with each other—came back to him as from a recent vision. (1.1.3)
This passage describes Strether's first encounter with Maria Gostrey, a woman who will eventually come to love him. As the description tells us, Maria isn't the most beautiful woman in the entire world. But her features are on "happy terms with each other," and this description foreshadows the fact that Miss Gostrey is a sociable woman who's pretty much on happy terms with everyone she meets.
Quote #2
The legend had been in later years that as the lower part of his face, which was weak, and slightly crooked, spoiled the likeness, this was the real reason for the growth of his beard. (1.2.4)
When the book describes Waymarsh, it suggests that beneath his heavy beard, Waymarsh has a really weak chin. This is pretty much symbolic of Waymarsh as a person too. Waymarsh is super insecure, so he overcompensates by acting serious all the time and never letting anyone know when he enjoys something. But before we know all of this about him, we know that he grew his beard to hide the weakness of his chin. Now that's some good symbolic writing, Mr. James.
Quote #3
'I don't say she's wonderful. Or rather,' he went on the next moment, 'I do say it. It's exactly what she is—wonderful. But I wasn't thinking of her appearance,' he explained, 'striking as that doubtless is.' (2.1.27)
When asked what Mrs. Newsome looks like, Strether is always dodgy in this book. It's like the guy doesn't even think of Mrs. Newsome as a flesh-and-blood human being. She's more like a godlike moral entity whose wrath could smite him down in an instant. In other words, you can't really picture her eating a sandwich or going to the bathroom because she's too busy being the most dignified, perfect woman in the whole world. And in case you weren't sure, that doesn't exactly make her fun to date.