CS 12 the Preraphaelites and Hopkins

8/12/2019 CS 12 the Preraphaelites and Hopkins

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LLE4161/4261 English literature (The literature of the Victorian Age)

C 12

The Pre-Rahaelite !rotherhoo"

#ante $a%riel Rossetti

$erar" &anle' oins

The Pre-Rahaelite !rotherhoo"

a group founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais

and Dante Gabriel ossetti! its member in"luded painters, poets and "riti"s

the original founders #ere later $oined by William Mi"hael ossetti, James

%ollinson, &rederi" George 'tephens and (homas Woolner! #ith their

addition, the group "ame to be )no#n as the seven*member +brotherhood

the group-s prin"ipal ob$e"tive #as to reform art! to this end they re$e"ted

the me"hanisti" approa"h of the Mannerist artists .#ho su""eeded aphael

and Mi"helangelo/, as #ell as the a"ademi" approa"h to art .in parti"ular,

the influen"e of 'ir Joshua eynolds, founder of the English oyal

0"ademy of 0rts/

eynolds #as one of the most influential 18th"entury painters, and advo"ateof the +Grand 'tyle .or +Grand Manner/, reliant on idealising the

imperfe"t and dra#ing on the "lassi" art of High enaissan"e! in his

Dis"ourses on 0rt .a series of le"tures presented at the oyal 0"ademy,

bet#een 123*13/, he opined that painters should approa"h their sub$e"ts

through idealisation and generalisation, rather than by attempting to "opy

nature5 (he +Grand Manner #as first applied to histori"al painting and

later to portrait painting .the sub$e"ts #ere depi"ted in surroundings

evo"ative of nobility, sophisti"ation as #ell as unpretentious sin"erity 6

"lassi"al ar"hite"ture, large estates, but also pastoral ba")grounds/5 (hemain models and sour"es #ere to be found in oman ar"hite"ture, 7talian

enaissan"e 0rt and the "ourt portraits of ubens5

in "ontrast to the advo"ates of the +Grand Manner, the re*aphaelites

#ere in favour of a return to the style of art pra"tised before aphael-s time

6 the minutely detailed, intensely "oloured and "omple9 pie"es of the 7talian

:uattro"ento5

the re*aphaelites regarded themselves as a reform group! their vie#s and

"reeds #ere published in the periodi"al The Germand their debates #erere"orded in thePre-Raphaelite Journal

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#ante $a%riel Rossetti

b5 1< May 18

poet, illustrator, painter and translator

one of the founders of the re*

aphaelite >rotherhood

attended Bing-s %ollege '"hool and

sho#ed )een interest in Medieval

7talian art

bet#een 1841 6 4? studied at Henry

'ass-s Dra#ing 0"ademy! in 184? heenrolled at the 0ntiAue '"hool of the

oyal 0"ademy5 0fter leaving the

0"ademy in 1848, he "ontinued

studying under the guidan"e of &ord

Mado9 >ro#n! the t#o retained a "lose

relationship after#ards

ossetti also be"ame friend #ith William Holman Hunt, after the e9hibition

of the latter-s (he Eve of 't5 0gnes! Hunt-s painting #as insipired by John

Beats-s famous poem, and ossetti #rote his o#n imitation of that te9t,+(he >lessed DamoCel

ossetti #as also interested in Dante-s #or)s .#hom he translated into

English/! his interest in the Middle*0ges "an also be seen in his attention to

0rthurian roman"e and medieval design

starting #ith the 182, his "reated efforts shifted in a ne# dire"tion and

be"ame materialised in a series of po#erful female portraits and "lose*ups!

his models .&anny %ornforth, 0le9a Wilding, Jane Morris, EliCabeth

'iddal/ #ere portrayed as the embodiment of sensuousness, eroti" po#erand eternal feminine divine gra"iousness! these #or)s later influen"ed the

European 'ymbolist movement

"hara"teristi" for ossetti-s #or) is the "lose "onne"tion bet#een image and

verse! he freAuently a""ompanied his paintings by sonnets! "onversely, he

also "reated illustrations for various poeti" pie"es .e5g5, for his sister,

%hristina ossetti/

if his earlier poetry is visibly mar)ed by Beats, in his later verse #e "an see

a "omple9 mergning of thought and feeling

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e9"ept for his early +(he >lessed DamoCel and +(he Girlhood of Mary

irgin, he is best )no#n in literature for the "y"les The House of ifeand

!allads and "onnets

ossetti-s poetry is mar)ed by po#erful eroti" and sensuous imagery,

depi"ting the physi"al and spiritual aspe"ts of intimate relationships! his

preferen"e for the sonnet is rooted in his "reed that this form of poetry is a+moment-s monument

ossetti be"ame a drug addi"t and suffered episodes of mental brea)do#n!

eventually, his health #as destroyed by )idney problems resulting from

ta)ing "hloral hydrate! he died on Easter 'unday, 188y God built over the sheer depth

(he #hi"h is 'pa"e begun!

'o high, that loo)ing do#n#ard then"e

'he s"ar"e "ould see the sun5

7t lies in Heaven, a"ross the flood

f ether, as a bridge5

>eneath, the tides of day and night

With flame and dar)ness ridge

(he void, as lo# as #here this earth'pins li)e a fretful midge5

0round her, lovers, ne#ly met

Mid deathless loves a""laims,

'po)e evermore among themselves

(heir heart*remembered names!

0nd the souls mounting up to God

Went by her li)e thin flames5

0nd still she bo#ed herself and stooped

ut of the "ir"ling "harm!

ntil her bosom must have made(he bar she leaned on #arm,

0nd the lilies lay as if asleep

0long her bended arm5

&rom the fi9ed pla"e of Heaven she sa#

(ime li)e a pulse sha)e fier"e

(hrough all the #orlds5 Her gaCe still strove

Within the gulf to pier"e

7ts path! and no# she spo)e as #hen

(he stars sang in their spheres5

(he sun #as gone no#! the "urled moon

Was li)e a little feather&luttering far do#n the gulf! and no#

'he spo)e through the still #eather5

Her voi"e #as li)e the voi"e of the stars

Had #hen they sang together5

.0h s#eetK Even no#, in that birds song,

'trove not her a""ents there,

&ain to be hear)enedL When those bells

ossessed the mid*day air,

'trove not her steps to rea"h my side

Do#n all the e"hoing stairL/7 #ish that he #ere "ome to me,

&or he #ill "ome, she said5

ord, ord, has he not praydL

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0re not t#o prayers a perfe"t strengthL

0nd shall 7 feel afraidL

When round his head the aureole "lings,

0nd he is "lothed in #hite,

7ll ta)e his hand and go #ith him

(o the deep #ells of light!

0s unto a stream #e #ill step do#n,

0nd bathe there in Gods sight5

We t#o #ill stand beside that shrine,

""ult, #ithheld, untrod,

Whose lamps are stirred "ontinually

With prayer sent up to God!

0nd see our old prayers, granted, melt

Ea"h li)e a little "loud5

We t#o #ill lie i the shado# of

(hat living mysti" tree

Within #hose se"ret gro#th the Dove

7s sometimes felt to be,While every leaf that His plumes tou"h

'aith His Fame audibly5

0nd 7 myself #ill tea"h to him,

7 myself, lying so,

(he songs 7 sing here! #hi"h his voi"e

'hall pause in, hushed and slo#,

0nd find some )no#ledge at ea"h pause,

r some ne# thing to )no#5

.0lasK We t#o, #e t#o, thou saystK

ea, one #ast thou #ith me

(hat on"e of old5 >ut shall God lift

(o endless unity

Was but its love for theeL/

We t#o, she said, #ill see) the groves

Where the lady Mary is,

With her five handmaidens, #hose names

0re five s#eet symphonies,

%e"ily, Gertrude, Magdalen,

Margaret and osalys5

%ir"le#ise sit they, #ith bound lo")s

0nd foreheads garlanded!

7nto the fine "loth #hite li)e flame

Weaving the golden thread,

(o fashion the birth*robes for them

Who are $ust born, being dead5

He shall fear, haply, and be dumb;

(hen #ill 7 lay my "hee)

(o his, and tell about our love,

Fot on"e abashed or #ea);

0nd the dear Mother #ill approve

My pride, and let me spea)5

Herself shall bring us, hand in hand,

(o him round #hom all souls

Bneel, the "lear*ranged unnumbered heads

>o#ed #ith their aureoles;

0nd angels meeting us shall sing(o their "itherns and "itoles5

(here #ill 7 as) of %hrist the ord

(hus mu"h for him and me; I

nly to live as on"e on earth

With ove, I only to be,

0s then a#hile, for ever no#

(ogether, 7 and he5

'he gaCed and listened and then said,

ess sad of spee"h than mild, I

0ll this is #hen he "omes5 'he "eased5

(he light thrilled to#ards her, filld

With angels in strong level flight5

Her eyes prayed, and she smild5

.7 sa# her smile5/ >ut soon their path

Was vague in distant spheres;

0nd then she "ast her arms along

(he golden barriers,

0nd laid her fa"e bet#een her hands,

0nd #ept5 .7 heard her tears5/

utial 0lee (1,.)

0t length their long )iss severed, #ith s#eet

smart;

0nd as the last slo# sudden drops are shed

&rom spar)ling eaves #hen all the storm has fled,

'o singly flagged the pulses of ea"h heart5

(heir bosoms sundered, #ith the opening start

f married flo#ers to either side outspread

&rom the )nit stem! yet still their mouths, burnt

red,

&a#ned on ea"h other #here they lay apart5

'leep san) them lo#er than the tide of dreams,

0nd their dreams #at"hed them sin), and slid

a#ay5

'lo#ly their souls s#am up again, through

gleams

f #atered light and dull dro#ned #aifs of day!

(ill from some #onder of ne# #oods and

streams

He #o)e, and #ondered more; for there she lay5

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$erar" &anle' oins

b5 alliol %ollege, 9ford! during those years,

he produ"ed poems and be"ame friend #ith

obert >ridges .later oet aureate/! at

>alliol, he #as also influen"ed by the #riter

%hristina ossetti and the "riti" Walter ater

in 1822, he de"ided to be"ome a %atholi"! he #as re"eived into the "hur"h

by %ardinal John Henry Fe#man on


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distin"tive "hara"teristi"s of Hop)ins-s poetry;

15 the use of srung rh'th*, that #ent against the main tradition of

English poetry, rooted in Forman times .+running rhythm, or repeating

groups of t#o or three syllables, #ith the stressed syllable al#ays falling

in the same position/! #ith sprung rhythm, the foot is "omposed of a

varying number of syllables .1 6 4/ , #ith stress falling on the firstsyllable of the foot

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CS 12 the Preraphaelites and Hopkins