The Pre-Raphaelites: Purity & Power

"She stood, and seemed to think, and wrung her hair . . ." (l.58)
The Defence of Guinevere (1858)

Points for Reflection

D. G. Rossetti’s “The Blessed Damozel” (1846; 1850)

1. in what ways does D. G. Rossetti's "The Blessed Damozel" (1846; 1850) modify the traditional Christian understanding of the afterlife?
2. does Rossetti's rendering of the feminine constitute an act of idolization, sexism, or something else?
3. make sure you can distinguish among the three different voices woven throughout this poem.
4. does the male appear to be as ready/ripe for heaven as was his deceased, female lover?
5. does earthly, romantic passion here fuse with love of the Divine, or do the two appear to remain separate after death?
6. does time pass at the same rate in heaven as on earth?
7. does the damozel imagine herself teaching her lover, her lover teaching herself, or God teaching them both--once all three are in heaven together?

Neil Gaiman's "How They Met Themselves" (Jan. 2000)

1. why does Lizzie Siddal take laudanum in the tale's opening?
2. how does Dream look to each of the three central characters?
3. at what point do the central characters step into the world of Dream?
4. each of the three characters meet their true love in the wood; can you identify this "true love" for each?
5. is this a love story? What attitude towards romance, intimacy, and marriage does this poem adopt?

C. Rossetti's "Goblin Market" (1859; 1862)

1. is the type of temptation offered by the goblins specific to a particular time of day (l.1)?
2. consider Rossetti's choices of diction throughout the poem. Why, for instance, might she use "cry" in line two instead of "call," "shout," or "moan"? Why "tramp" in line fifty-five instead of "walk," run," or "skip"?
3. why does Lizzie "blush" at the call of the goblins (l.35)? How does her reaction differ from that of her sister?
4. lines 38-39 and 184-98 establish the sisters' physical intimacy; do these lines, or other events in the story, suggest any sexual intimacy between the siblings?
5. does the fact that Lizzie's fingers are "dimpled" (l.67) suggest her age, or her girth?
6. do some of the animals present a greater temptation than others (ll.71-80, 92-114)?
7. what do the various similes used to describe Laura suggest about both her person (body) and her impending actions (ll.81-86)?
8. after the initial pleasures given by the fruit, what is Laura's first response upon finishing the food given her (ll.138-39)?
9. why does the narrator draw attention to Laura's and Lizzie's status as "maidens," and is it significant that none of the goblins are female (ll.144-46)?
10. why might no grass grow over Jeanie's grave (ll.158-59)? What killed her (ll.312-19)?
11. what tasks do the sisters perform around the house (ll.199-208), and at what point does Lizzie cease to perform these domestic duties?
12. does it matter that these encounters with goblins occur near a running stream (l.216)?
13. why do the goblins fail to return once Laura has eaten their fruit (ll.230-41)?
14. why won't the goblins accept the coin Lizzie proffers for fruit (ll.366-67)? What do they want from her?
15. of which of the seven deadly sins do the goblins accuse Lizzie (l.394)?
16. what kind of abuse does the goblins' treatment of Lizzie resemble?
17. does Lizzie consume any of the fruit?
18. is Lizzie's flight from the goblins motivated by fear (ll.455-63)?
19. Christina's brother Michael wrote of this poem, ""I have more than once heard Christina aver that the poem has not any profound or ulterior meaning--it is just a fairy story; yet one can discern that it implies at any rate this much--that to succumb to temptation makes one a victim to that same continuous temptation; that the remedy does not always lie with oneself; and that a stronger and more righteous will may prove of avail to restore one's lost estate" (Mackenzie Bell, Christina Rossetti, 207). Does this seem an apt summary of the poem's ethical import, or can you identify more specific motifs and morals?
20. does the evidence support the assertions of Lorraine Janzen Kooistra in “Visualizing the Fantastic Subject” that “Rossetti invites her readers to contemplate the ways in which her hero, Lizzie, has the power to be both spectator and spectacle without forfeiting her individual subjectivity” (Culture 141)? Kooistra reiterates this point late when she claims “Rossetti both exploits and subverts the notion that women are objects of the gaze” (Culture 142).

W. Morris's "The Defence of Guenevere" (1858)

1. hero or villain? Exonerated or condemned? Sympathetic or worthy of disdain? How does Morris characterize King Arthur's unfaithful wife, Guenevere?
2. is Guenevere's case convincing? What tools does she employ in her self-defense?
3. trace the shifts in Guenevere's voice--her volume as well as her tone.
4. does the narrator himself betray his opinion of Guenevere at any point?
5. is Morris's use of a terza rima verse form appropriate given the poem's contents?
6. to what does Guinevere allude when she admits fearing to die (l.45)?
7. does the poem provide a portrait of a lady "brave," "glorious," and "fair" (l.56)?
8. what does “‘I grew white with flame’” connote, and why might this state prompt Guinevere to bow her head (ll.70-71)?
9. what did Guinevere think would always revolve around her (ll.84-85)?
10. what threat does Guinevere level at Gauwaine with, “‘let me not scream out / For ever after, when the shrill winds blow / ‘Through half your castle-locks!’” (ll.148-60)?
11. does Guinevere indeed “hew down” (l.167) the proofs Gauwaine brought against her? 
12. does Guinevere perjure herself when she declares “All I have said is truth’” (l.286)?

The Blessed Damozel (1875-78)
Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu