(Sorry this is late.)
This past week's readings have been some of my favorites. I've read quite a bit of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but never "Aurora Leigh." I enjoyed the lengthy description of Aurora's aunt. The point of view of the poem was one idea I teased out in my head while I was reading; it seems as though Aurora knows her aunt has a certain personality, but she only knows it looking back. I would like to read the rest of the book-length poem, but I consider the poem to have been written in retrospect. Another interesting plot point in the poem was that of the relationship between the aunt and Aurora's mother. At first Aunt Leigh is quite interested in this strange woman from another culture, but eventually grows to loathe her, and Aunt Leigh's curiosity and idealism evolves into hate.
"Goblin Market" has become one of my absolute favorite poems. I'd never heard of Christina Rossetti until this semester, and her writing is flawless. The descriptions of subtle details, like the six lines describing Laura's white neck, almost made me shiver with anticipation of how the plot would progress further into the poem. Some of the things I wondered throughout the reading of this poem were: are the goblins truly goblins? In the deceptively simple poem, yes, they really are these horrible, repulsive creatures, but the whole poem has a certain magical element about it that made me question whether or not everything was as it seems. Of course the goblins are symbolic of free market participants or rapists or devils, but I can appreciate this poem for the message it sends to both children and adults.
Before this week I'd read bits and pieces of Frankenstein and I know the basic story from having heard many, many retellings, but I especially appreciated chapters 11 through 16 for their relation to the poems we had to read by Browning and Rossetti. Not only was Mary Shelley a brilliant writer (both for her era and her gender - not that women couldn't be brilliant authors, just that they didn't have as much opportunity to be), but the way in which she wrote the story is fascinating. Even though Frankenstein was originally written as a challenge to see which among three friends could write the most interesting, most terrifying tale, it remains one of the most beloved books in Western culture. Both Frankenstein and The Mortal Immortal allude to the dangers of the imagination if used in improper manners, which, I think, is an important lesson for those who are handling matters they should not tamper with (creationism, love, etc.).
I love Rossetti as well, particularly if you look at her family and learn more about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She was a phenomenal but deeply troubled woman; I think that is clear from her use of erotic themes in literature in spite of living a very austere, Christian life that essentially turned her into a spinster.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to read the article on "Goblin Market" and economics, send me an email and I will forward it to you - it's a quite fascinating read. Having read a lot of fantasy, I think of goblins as cute and stupid menaces, not as menacing evil creatures like ogres. I do think they represent the "bourgeoisie," which most writers and artists of the period abhorred due to their lack of taste and their excessive greediness and competitiveness.