There are several well - known portrait novels. 'Wuthering Heights' is one. It gives a very detailed and complex portrayal of Heathcliff and Catherine. Their passionate and tortured relationship is explored in great depth. 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy is another. The character of Anna is painted so vividly, her desires, her downfall, and her place in society are all carefully depicted. And 'Madame Bovary' also belongs to this category, as it delves into the character of Emma Bovary, her discontent and her ultimately tragic fate.
One example of a portrait novel is 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf. It closely examines the characters' inner lives and relationships within the Ramsay family. Also, 'The Great Gatsby' is a kind of portrait novel as it gives a detailed account of Jay Gatsby, his dreams, and his doomed love for Daisy. In addition, 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens is also a portrait novel as it mainly focuses on the development and portrait of David Copperfield himself.