A Victorian muse the afterlife of Dante's Beatrice in nineteenth-century literature Julia Straub.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Straub, Julia, author.

Series:

Continuum literary studies.

Continuum literary studies series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321--Characters--Beatrice Portinari.

Dante Alighieri.

Portinari, Beatrice, 1266-1290--In literature.

Portinari, Beatrice.

English literature--19th century--History and criticism.

English literature.

Symbolism in literature.

Women in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (187 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London Continuum 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The figure of Dante's Beatrice can be seen as a cultural phenomenon or myth during the nineteenth century, inspiring a wide variety of representations in literature and the visual arts. This study looks at the cultural afterlife of Beatrice in the Victorian period in remarkably different contexts. Focusing on literary representations and selected examples from the visual arts, this book examines works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Walter Pater as well as by John Ruskin, Maria Rossetti and Arthur Henry Hallam. Julia Straub's analysis shows how the various representations of Beatrice in literature and in the visual arts reflect in meaningful ways some of the central social and aesthetic concerns of the Victorian period, most importantly its discourse on gender. This study offers fascinating insights into the Victorian reception of Dante by exploring the powerful appeal of his muse.

Contents:

Introduction: Beatrice's Victorian afterlife

Seeing Beatrice: the visualization of Beatrice in Victorian culture

Looking for the real Beatrice: the Rossetti family

Ideal visions: Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Rossetti

Deconstruction of an ideal: George Eliot's Romola

Mourning a male Beatrice: Alfred Lord Tennyson's In memoriam

Construction of a new ideal: Walter Pater's 'diaphaneitè'

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

1. Introduction: Beatrice's Victorian Afterlife

2. Seeing Beatrice: The Visualization of Beatrice in Victorian Culture

3. Looking for the Real Beatrice: The Rossetti Family

4. Ideal Visions: Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Christina Rossetti

5. Deconstruction of an Ideal: George Eliot's Romola

6. Mourning a Male Beatrice: Alfred Lord Tennyson's In Memoriam

7. Construction of a New Ideal: Walter Pater's 'Diaphaneitè' Conclusion

Biliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [153]-170) and index

ISBN:

9786612452819

9781474211246

1474211240

9781282452817

1282452819

9781441110718

1441110712

OCLC:

600096379