Abstract:

The Pre-Raphaelite movement was established in 1848 not only as a rebellion against the principles in art of the Royal Academy but also as a reaction to the values of the Victorian Age. Drawing heavily from Dante Gabriel Rosetti's depiction of the sexually attractive and seductive female character as a femme fatale, all other members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood – such as Victorian poets, painters, designers and illustrators – began portraying female figures in their works as seductive femme fatales, which was indeed in total contrast with the Victorian idea of woman as “the angel in the house.” Hence, especially, in poetry and painting, female beauty and sexual yearning had a significant place. Given that, the leading Victorian poet-painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), a vehement founding member of the Brotherhood, used female figures extensively, and thereby the concept of feminine beauty dominated his poems and paintings. Especially, through his widespread use of unconventional female figures like fallen women and prostitutes, Rossetti manifested his explicit opposition to the Victorian ideals. Furthermore, by emphasising seductive feminine beauty in his works, he tried to break the sexual taboos in Victorian poetry and art. Therefore, he was marginalised in the Victorian Age yet still, he became the best representative of art for art's sake movement. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to examine the depiction of women both in Rossetti's sonnet “Lilith” and painting Lady Lilith with reference to his ballad “Eden Bower.” Moreover, this paper analyses how Rossetti introduces his femme fatale figure, and hence, concludes that through his unconventional portrayal of woman and her beauty, Rossetti brings a new insight not only to the depiction of women in Victorian poetry and art but also to the condition of women in the Victorian Period in general.

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