A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennesse Williams

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

Introduction: Regarding Streetcar by Arthur Miller

 In his introduction to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams, Miller recalls the very first time that he saw the play, “it took only a few minutes to realise that the play and production had thrown open doors to another theatre world”. The phrase, “thrown open” emphasises just how powerful Miller’s first viewing of ‘Streetcar’ was, suggesting that his realisation that the play was unlike any others of the time was profound and sudden. He believes that Williams was the founder of “another theatre world”, implying that Williams unlocked a type of theatre, the possibilities of which had never before been discovered. The lasting impact that the play had on Miller is clear.

Miller believes that ‘Streetcar’ is a play that people can instantly understand and relate to, “one truly heard every word of it in that first production”.  The fact that he believed it possible for “every word” to be “truly heard” shows that he believes that Williams was able to connect with the audience through his writing on the first night that it was performed and the audience was able to understand the deeper meanings behind the play, rather than just superficial first perceptions. ‘Streetcar’ was very much a play of truths, “language flowing from the soul” and this quote suggests that William’s came straight from the deepest parts of himself and spoke to the deepest parts of the audience’s selves also.  It was free of any changes or alterations that may make it less real.

Miller is able to summarise the key aspect of the play, “Streetcar is a cry of pain; forgetting that is to forget the play”.  Millar suggests that “pain” is such a huge aspect of the play that to not acknowledge this fact is to not truly understand the play.

Southern Belle

From the French word ‘belle’, meaning beautiful, the term Southern Belle refers to women of the upper class of the American Deep South. The idea of a ‘Southern Belle’ was firstly made popular through 20^th century works such as ‘Gone With the Wind’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.

New Orleans

New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana in Southern USA. New Orleans was a very culturally diverse area during the time that ‘Streetcar’ was set. It was also distinctive for its music, such as jazz and blues, Mardi Gras celebrations and food.

Tennesse Williams’ other plays

Some of Williams’ most well-known plays include works such as ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘The Glass Menagerie’, and ‘Sweet Bird of Youth’. ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ is also set in southern USA and explores the relationships between a southern family over the period of one evening. ‘The Glass Menagerie’ is also focuses on a family and it is likely that the characters have strong links to Williams’ own family. The protagonist’s sister has a collection of glass animals and William’s own sister Rose also used small glass figurines to help fight the gloominess of their childhood. ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ also features the theme of mental health and at the end of the play Blanche is taken away from Stella’s home by a doctor and a nurse due to her unstable mental condition. This also links with Williams’ sister who had a lobotomy due to her mental health.

William’s Life

Williams lived with his father,mother and sister and moved to St Louis when he and his sister were still children. They found it very difficult to adjust to their new life in the city and tried to pretend the gloominess away, for example, by painting his sister’s room white to bring some light to the dark room which always had its curtains shut. Williams started at College during the depression but instead left after a few years and spent his time at a clerical job in the day and writing in the evenings. He eventually finished his course at another university and received a Rockefeller Fellowship in 1940. William’s sister was subject to a lobotomy, after which she was never the same again and this deeply troubled Williams. Williams wrote many successful plays throughout his life, including ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ and ‘The Glass Menagerie’. He died in 1983.

Blanche

Scene 1

“This – can this be – her home?” – Blanche holds a superior attitude and is surprised at the home in which her sister lives, despite the fact that she only has a suitcase of belongings to her name.

“I didn’t mean to be rude, but-“ – the use of the word “but” implies that Blanche does not really care that she is being rude. This line shows that she knows that she is being rude when she asks Eunice to leave her alone but yet she does it anyway. This further implies her conceited attitude,  despite her infamous reputation that she is trying to conceal from those around her.

“I’ve got to keep a hold of myself!” – Despite the façade that she puts on in front of others, Blanche faces a turmoil that she wishes to conceal. She puts on an act of being a ‘southern belle’ yet her life is very much in ruins and she is finding it exceedingly difficult to cope. She can feel herself losing control of her emotions, which is shown by this line where she chastises herself to keep up her façade and to not succumb to the panic that she feels.  

“Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare”- although Blanche seems to be referring to the harsh light and how her physical appearance will be affected, it is also possible that Blanche means that she does not want to be seen for who she really is and judged in a “merciless glare” for what she has done, so instead would rather exist in the ‘dark’ where she can pretend that she is something that she is not.

“what are you doing in a place like this?”- Blanche acts as if she would never live where Stella lives, however, she is not as prim as she makes herself out to be. She has an infamous history that her sister and her friends are not aware of, and Blanche herself doesn’t even have enough money to stay in a hotel.

“Your all I’ve got in the world and you’re not glad to see me”- the phrase “all in the world” shows how much of a desperate situation  Blanche is in and how few people she has to rely on. Blanche’s life has turned into one of complete loneliness and she constantly seeks approval from others through compliments on the superficial – such as her appearance.

“got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!”- The definitive way in which Blanche speaks , “got” and “cant”, emphasises the desperation that’s she has for approval and companionship.

Scene 2

“How pretty the sky is! I ought to go there on a rocket that never comes down”- Blanche tries to suppress her inner turmoil by appearing to be nonchalant and cheery, such as by making comments such as this one, where she comments on the loveliness of the sky, as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. It appears that she makes the comment about the “rocket” in a light-hearted manner, but, although she would never wish to reveal it to anyone, it is likely that Blanche does wish that she could disappear to a place far away from her life, away from everything that she knows, and never return. Towards the end of the play, pretending is a key way in which Blanche tries to cope when her life begins to crumble further.

Scene 3

“How do I look?”- Blanche’s appearance is extremely important to her and she brings it up on a regular basis, constantly seeking approval or a compliment from somebody else.

“Show me a person who hasn’t experienced any sorrow and I’ll show you a shuperficial-“ – this line is ironic as Blanche is extremely superficial. She focuses on material things such as clothes and her appearance and she creates a façade that doesn’t let anyone see the truth about her.

“I can’t stand a naked light bulb”- Blanche is regularly referencing light. She feels that after the death of her first partner the ‘light’ in her life went out and now she likes to exist in the ‘darkness’, where she can pretend and nobody can see her clearly enough to decipher the truth.

Scene 5

“storm- all storm- and I was- caught in the centre” – this line shows the turmoil that Blanche is in, as the metaphor of a ‘storm’ shows how chaotic and destructive her life is. The idea of her being “caught” shows how trapped Blanche feels in her situation and panicked that she cannot get out.

“and you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone”- this line further emphasises Blanche’s need for companionship and recognition. It shows how lonely she is and how desperate she is for her existence to be “admitted”.

“have got to be seductive-  put on soft colours”- Blanche resorted to pretending to cope with her life situation. She explains how she had to learn to manipulate and pretend in order for her existence” to be “admitted”. The fact that all she wanted was to be “admitted” shows how little affection she was receiving from others and how desperate she was for some.

 

Scene 6

“never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this – kitchen – candle”- After the death of her first partner Blanche’s life has been consumed in darkness. The reference to a “candle”, which gives off a dull and flickering light, shows how little happiness Blanche has in her life.

Scene 7

“It’s only a paper moon, just as phony as can be”- when Stanley reveals to Stella the truth about Blanche’s reputation, Blanche is in the bath singing these lyrics. The “paper moon” refers to Blanche and the illusion she creates of being a lady with old fashioned ideals.

“Oh, I feel so good after my long, hot bath, I feel so good and cool and – rested!”- Blanche often comments on how much better she feels after a bath. She pretends that all she needs is a bath to make her feel better and maybe she believes that if she says that she feels better then maybe eventually she actually will.

Scene 8

“Stanley, tell us a joke, tell us a funny story to make us all laugh”- This is a further example of Blanche’s technique of supressing her inner panic by pretending to be cheerful. Blanche prefers to avoid her problems and pretend to “laugh” than admit to them.

“His aunty knows that candles aren’t safe, and that candles blow out in little girl’s and boy’s eyes, or the wind blows them out and after that happens, electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainly”- The metaphor of electric light bulbs shows how Blanche is now able to see all the flaws in the world. She would rather live in the darkness and pretend that they are not there.

Scene 9

“The unforgiveable insult to a lady!”- Blanche comments on how Mitch didn’t shave before he came to see her. She pretends that she is a ‘southern belle’ with traditional ideals, however, her terrible reputation shows that she doesn’t really possess these ideals at all.

“Have you ever had anything caught in your head?”- Blanche appears to be talking of having a tune stuck in her head, yet it is likely that she is instead referring to the turmoil that is constantly in her head.

“I like it dark. The dark is comforting to me”- This shows how Blanche likes to pretend and not acknowledge her problems. The dark enables her to hide and not allow anyone to see who she really is. The simplicity of the first sentence shows how gives the audience the sense that Blanche is admitting to something that is extremely truthful and from a deep aspect of her being.

“I don’t want realism”- Again, this shows how Blanche would rather exist in a make believe world than acknowledge her problems.

“yes, a big spider! That’s where I brought my victims”- Blanche is aware of how she behaved wrongly in the past and is almost hysterically bitter about it, no longer hiding it but instead emphasising the severity of all that she did. The use of the word “victims” shows how poorly she views her actions as she compares her actions to that of a spider which is often a feared and disliked creature.

“I cleft in the rock of the world that I could hide in” - Blanche was relieved when she met Mitch as she believed that their relationship would enable her to hide further and pretend her problems away.

“You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother”- The way in which Mitch portrays Blanche contrasts greatly with the illusion that Blanche was trying to create for herself.

Scene 10

“but I have been foolish- casting my pearls before swine!” – even when Blanche’s secrets have been revealed she still tries to keep a hold on the illusion that she had created for herself and instead treats herself as being superior, putting down those around her, by calling them “swine”.

“whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”- this is the last line that Blanche says in the play and it is very ironic. It shows how desperate her situation is and it is sad that she puts her trust into the doctor who takes her away, as it is unlikely that she would view the way in which she will be treated as him being kind, or the way in which Stella and her friends have sent her to an institution as being kind.

Summary of Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

Summary of Goblin Market

When passing through ‘Goblin Market’, sisters ‘Lizzie’ and ‘Laura’ have different opinions on how to react to the goblin’s selling techniques. Lizzie is adamant that they should avoid the goblin’s food at all costs and is very concerned with the dangers that they face to the girls. Laura, however, does not possess the same restraints as Lizzie and gives into the temptation of the food that the goblin’s offer. Having no money to spend, ‘Laura’ purchases the fruit with a “golden curl”.

When Lizzie returns to Laura, she is warned of a girl named ‘Jeanie’, who met her demise due to dabbling in the market. The next day the two girls complete their household chores, each demonstrating opposite attitudes. Rossetti uses mirroring to emphasise how each girl appears to be the opposite of the other.

Laura is described as being tormented by the memory of the goblin’s fruit and soon she becomes ill and weak with “passionate yearning” for their food. Lizzie, concerned for her sister’s welfare, takes it upon herself to return to the market to get more food in order to cure Laura. She tells the goblins that she wants to buy some fruit but they will not take her money, telling her that she must eat the food there and then. When she refuses they grab her and try to physically force the food into her mouth. She stands her ground and refuses to open her mouth, despite the goblin’s aggression.  Eventually, the goblin’s give up and Lizzie then returns to her sister and tells her to “hug me, kiss me, suck my juices squeez’d from goblin fruits for you”. Years later, when the sisters are married and have children of their own, Laura tells her children the story of her youth, how her sister risked her life to save her and ultimately the importance of sisterhood.  

Compare the way Rossetti presents nature in her poems

Compare the way Rossetti presents nature in her poems

Nature is a topic present in many of Rossetti’s poems and it is often the case that the imagery and symbolism that she uses overlap between her texts. The significance of nature in her poetry is similar to that of Keats’ work, by whom it is likely that she was influenced. Religion was hugely significant in Rossetti’s life and the Romantic style in which she often uses nature to demonstrate God’s presence in the world is similar to the work of Romantic poets such as Keats. Overall, Rossetti uses natural imagery in her poetry to emphasise the faults in society in contrast to the beauty of God’s creation.

‘Paradise: In a Dream’ is a poem hugely focused on nature and the beauty of God behind it. The title itself highlights the contrast between the beauty of God and the faults in society as the fact that she uses a caesura after “paradise”, followed by “in a dream”, implies that she is aware that “paradise” cannot be reached in this world, as a dream is something that is often beyond the realm of possibility, or perhaps something that someone deeply longs for, even sometimes on a subconscious level. The slight pause that the caesura creates stresses the distance between “paradise” and the society in which Rossetti lived, where “paradise” to Rossetti is just that – a dream.

Rossetti also contrasts the beauty of nature with the faults in society in the poem ‘Shut out’. In this poem she creates a scenario where the persona is blocked from a “garden” by an abstract force. Rossetti describes this force as being a “shadowless spirit”. The use of sibilance here suggests that this force is a sinister one, as the sound it creates has connotations of snakes and slithering, as if the words creep through the line. Snakes are a significant image in Christianity with regards to evil, as they are often used to represent Lucifer, as he appeared in this form to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Perhaps Rossetti is suggesting that this invisible force blocking the persona from the “garden” is the evil and corruption of society. The “garden” is described as being a place full of harmony, “from bough to bough”. The repetition of the word “bough” separated only by the single preposition “to” implies the vastness of nature and the fertility of the “garden”, as it suggests that there are many boughs that the song birds can fly between. The monosyllabic word placed between the two “boughs” makes them feel very close together, thus suggesting that the garden is densely populated with trees. The rhythm of this phrase also makes it flow very easily, suggesting that the “song-birds” can flit between the trees with ease. It is possible that this is a representation of women in Victorian society, and namely Rossetti herself, as birds are a trope in her poetry and are often used to represent poets. Is Rossetti suggesting that the corruption of society, and specifically the misogyny and stereotyping that women faced, is preventing them from the freedom that the “song birds” have to move and do as they wish?

  The assonance of the next line, which mirrors the previous one, “from flower to flower”, further stresses the sense of harmony that Rossetti creates between the living things of the garden. Rossetti could be suggesting that the “shadowless spirit”, or the corruption of society, is preventing people from living how God designed them to live and the way in which society forces them to do things that make them unhappy, for example, women not being able to speak their views openly and being forced to conform to society’s idealised version of how a woman should be, is unnatural. Being a female Victorian writer, it is likely that Rossetti felt extremely constrained with regards to her writing and what was considered acceptable for her to express through her poetry.

This idea that society forces people to act in a way that they might not naturally behave is also suggested in ‘Maude Clare’. Rossetti uses the image of “lilies” to suggest a romantic relationship that may have taken place between ‘Maude Clare’ and ‘Thomas’, “the lilies are budding now”. The use of the metaphor of “lilies” to represent the relationship or feelings between ‘Maude Clare’ and ‘Thomas’, implies that this relationship is a natural and beautiful thing, as flowers such as lilies are often admired as delicate things of beauty. The use of the present tense, “are” and “now”, suggests that they could still be together and still share feelings for one another. However, the rules and customs of society forbid them to marry one another, despite their natural compatibility. Instead ‘Thomas’ is forced to ignore the natural feelings that he feels for ‘Maude Clare’, that are still very much alive and not even at their full potential yet, as suggested by the image of “budding”, and has no choice but to marry a woman that he doesn’t love and ignore how he would naturally act. By using “lilies” as a metaphor for love or sensuality, Rossetti suggests that society forces people to ignore what is natural and beautiful and do things that make them unhappy and which go against the natural order of things.

God was hugely significant in Rossetti’s life, and the beauty and harmony of His natural world served to highlight to Rossetti the flaws of the man-made society in which she resided. As shown in these poems, this realisation was repeatedly significant in her work and how she viewed Victorian society.

Compare and contrast how Christina Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems ‘Song’ and ‘Remember’ - Ana Marchant

Compare and contrast how Christina Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems ‘Song’ and ‘Remember’

Both ‘Song’ and ‘Remember’ focus on the topic of death and Rossetti writes boldly and clearly about this, perhaps rather morbid, topic whilst showing no fear of what she is very much aware is inevitable. Rossetti was born in 1830 and so was raised in Victorian England, a time when lack of sanitation and awareness of the hygiene and health and safety that is so fundamental today would have meant that many would have been all too aware of their own mortality. Christina herself remarked upon how her own childhood was not only a time of joy but also a time tinged with sadness, as it was the time that she became aware of the harsh reality of death and the mortality of all living things.  Perhaps death was so significant to Rossetti due to the deterioration of her father’s health after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis when she was only thirteen. It is also possible that her devout religious beliefs made death a topic that she wanted to discuss as she herself had very specific ideas about what would happen after death. She believed in Soul Sleep, which was an idea that after death the soul would remain until the second coming of Christ when they would then be raised.  These factors, combined with the fact that mourning during the Victorian period was an act that consisted of many rituals and traditions that would be seen as rather peculiar and morbid today, meant that death would have been an ever present topic in Rossetti’s life, and was therefore also very present in her poetry.

One similarity between these poems is the fact that both personas seem to be completely aware that death is an inevitable destination that they will no doubt one day face, “when I am dead, my dearest”. This line, taken from ‘Song’, illustrates this. The use of the word “when” implies that the persona is simply waiting for the day to come when they will be dead. The simple way in which Rossetti writes this line suggests a certain comfortableness that the persona has with the idea of death and suggests that they are at ease with the fact that they will, no doubt, die. This is further implied by the fact that the use of iambic trimeter in the first line stresses the words “I” and “dead”. The use of the caesura in this line before the endearment, “my dearest”, implies that although the persona is at complete ease with the fact that they will die, they are aware that the reader may not feel the same and so is trying to comfort the reader to some extent. The juxtaposition between the morbidity of death and the more cheery connotations of the endearment, “dearest”, highlights just how comfortable the persona is with the topic of death as they are so prepared that they will die that they are even able to comfort others regarding it.  The poem, ‘Remember’, also suggests this, “when I am gone away”. Again, the use of the word “when” suggests that the persona is aware of the inevitability of death. The fact that the persona can speak so plainly about the fact that after death they will have “gone away” also implies that they do not fear death and are comfortable with the fact that death means leaving everything that you know behind to go to a new  and unknown place. This is further suggested by the second line, “gone far away into the silent land”. Repetition of words in the first line, only this time with the use of the word “far”, implies that the persona has fully considered what dying means and is almost correcting their first statement to better fit what they believe death entails. The word “far” emphasises just how distant death will make the persona and although one would expect this to make death even more of a morbid topic, the fact that Rossetti repeats the first line with this additional word suggests that the persona is at peace with the distance that death will put between them and their current life, so much so that they want to make clear just how “far” away the “silent land” is.

In both poems, Rossetti conveys the idea that death means an absence of many things, “I shall not see the shadows”. This line has a clear iambic trimeter. This is significant because the rhythm of this poem is not always consistent but this line and the line preceding it both have a regular rhythm. This could be an implication that these lines hold eternal truths that are as natural as the circle of life itself, hence the rhythm that creates a sense of repetition and makes the lines more fluid to speak aloud. This rhythm stresses the words “shall”, “see” and “feel”. The word “shall” suggests that the persona is very confident that this is what death will be like, and suggests that they are not guessing as to what is will be like but rather they know what it will hold for them. The words “see” and “feel” implies that, to the persona, death means an absence of the emotions that we experience every day in life. Although this may seem at first quite disconcerting, Rossetti portrays this to be a positive thing as she suggests that this means an absence of the negative emotions that we are subject to in life. This is implied by the use of the words “shadows” and “rain”, which both have connotations of suffering and melancholy. The poem ‘Remember’ also suggests the idea that death means the end of the emotions and sensations that we feel in life, “when you can no more hold me by the hand”. The idea of the reader being able to “no more hold” the persona further suggests the distance that death creates. This idea of the persona no longer being able to have a relationship with the person they are directing the poem to could be interpreted as quite upsetting. However, much like the message that is conveyed in ‘Song’, Rossetti could be implying that death could be seen as positive as the persona in ‘Remember’ only seems to be able to find freedom in death, “you tell me of our future that you’d planned”. The use of the pronoun “you” in contrast with the pronoun “our” suggests that the poetic voice is quite controlled in life, as despite the fact that the future that is planned belongs to both of them , the persona seemed to have no say in it. This was likely to be true of many women in the Victorian era, as it was often the case that the husband would make the decisions in the relationship and would have the most authority between the two of them. Therefore, Rossetti could be suggesting that death offers a type of freedom that the persona had never before experienced as they can no longer be controlled in any way.  This is very similar to the idea conveyed in ‘Song’ that death frees the deceased of the negative emotions that they may experience in life.

As well as this, in both poems Rossetti is very clear as to how loved ones should react to a death, “sing no sad songs for me”. The trochaic foot in this line emphasises the idea of singing in a confident and assertive tone. The fact that both words “sad” and “songs” are stressed and are placed consecutively in the sentence means that they are very stressed. They do not fit into the regular iambic trimeter of the first sentence and seem to weigh the sentence down. This suggests that “sad songs” do not fit into Rossetti’s idea of how people should grieve and that she does not want the reader to be sad as these words disrupt the rhythm of the sentence which suggests that “sad songs” disrupt how grieving should naturally be. This idea that people should respond to the death of a loved one positively is then further suggested, “be the green grass above me”. The use of an imperative verb at the beginning of the line gives it a positive tone. Rossetti asserts a positive of what she wants to happen and rhythmically there is a very positive emphasis on the word “be”.  Rossetti uses the following line to further suggest that people should try to act positively after a death instead of singing “sad songs”, “with showers and dewdrops wet”. This could be a metaphor for tears and Rossetti implies that those who are grieving should use their tears to bring things alive and help the “grass” grow.  In ‘Remember’ Rossetti also suggests that it is better to be positive after a death than to be sad, “better by far that you should forget and smile”. Although the phrase “remember me” is repeated several times in the poem, Rossetti states that if doing so makes them sad, then the person should not remember at all. This implies that the priority of the persona is to make sure that their loved ones are happy and that that is more important to them than being remembered and this is suggested by the words “better by far”. The fact that these words are placed at the beginning of the line and are all similarly stressed implies how important the persona believes it to be for their loved ones to be happy.

Although ‘Remember’ begins with the words “remember me”, in ‘Song’ Rossetti is never so certain that the persona will be remembered, “and if thou wilt, remember”. The word “and” almost suggests that being remembered is an additional thought to the persona and not their main priority. The use of the caesura after the word “wilt” suggests that the persona is unsure as to whether they will be remembered. It implies a brief moment of bravado that their life will be remembered. However, both poems suggest that the personas do not know whether they will be remembered and are exploring both scenarios of being remembered and being forgotten. This sense of uncertainty is also suggested by the idea of “twilight” in ‘Song’ as twilight is a time in-between states of night and day. Both poems end on the idea of being forgotten, “than you should remember and be sad”. This line in ‘Remember’ suggests that the persona has come to the conclusion that it may be best to be forgotten as it is not worth their loved ones being “sad”. In ‘Song’ the poem ends with the line, “and haply may forget”. The last word “forget” is deadening and ends the poem on an abrupt note with a sense of finality. Perhaps Rossetti is suggesting that she believes that being forgotten is inevitable?

There are many similarities between these poems and the ideas that Rossetti conveys in them. It is clear that death is an important topic to Rossetti and her writing implies that she is quite certain on her theories about what death entails.

English Literature- Ana Marchant

‘Maude Clare’ by Christina Rossetti

A brief summary of the story:

Thomas, who is clearly an aristocratic individual, marries a woman of similar status called Nell. This is a marriage which Thomas’ mother clearly approves of and is pleased with.  However,  Maude Clare, who is not of the same social status as the others, attends the wedding and implies that there was once a relationship between Thomas and herself, whilst offering wedding ‘gifts’ that represent the relationship that they had. Nell is happy to accept these ‘gifts’, as she is happy that she was the one that he married and pledges to “love him till he loves me best”.

What point is Rossetti making about the Victorian class system in this poem?

Rossetti challenges the Victorian class system from the very beginning of ‘Maude Clare’, “Maude Clare was like a queen”.  Rossetti immediately creates the impression that Maude Clare is the one with the authority as the status of a “queen”, is a stark contrast to that of a “village maid”, which is how Rossetti describes Nell. Despite the fact that Maude Clare is very separate from Thomas and Nell, and doesn’t really fit into their world, which is shown by the use of the pronouns, “them” and “she” which immediately separates her from them, Rossetti still suggests that Maude possesses a certain authority that Nell simply does not. Rossetti uses the imagery of a stereotypical class system, by using the words “queen” and “village maid”, to challenge the Victorian class system as she applies the role of “queen” to Maude Clare instead of Nell.

Rossetti makes the mother of Thomas the first to speak, as being the eldest and being an aristocratic member of society, she would have had great power and would have been one of the people who approved the marriage. It would therefore be expected that Thomas or Nell would be the next to speak, but instead it is Maude Clare. Maude Clare would have been the lowest in the class system out of all of the individuals in this poem, yet surprisingly she speaks the most. Rossetti could be highlighting how powerless Maude is despite her powerful words. However, Rossetti could also be implying that despite Maude’s poor social standing, she has the most power in the poem, as she dominates the poem with her speech and renders Thomas without words, “he faltered in his place”. This shows how much power Maude Clare has over him as she is still able to make him “falter” despite the fact that she is far below him in the class system.

Nell is the last to speak. Perhaps this is representative of the fact that Nell was the one who got to marry Thomas and therefore has the last word to represent her victory. However, I think that this could also be representative of how, despite her social class, Nell does not have the power that Maude Clare has as Thomas does not love her the way that he loves Maude Clare.  Maude Clare also possesses the natural superiority that Nell does not, “though you’re taller by the head, much more wise and much more fair”. According to Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the fittest’, Maude should have been the one to marry Thomas , and Nell is even aware of how “much more” naturally superior Maude Clare is and the use of the word “though” suggests that Nell knows that in other circumstances Maude Clare would have gotten to marry Thomas.  However, the Victorian class system takes none of this into account. Perhaps Rossetti is suggesting that the class system at the time is unnatural?

Furthermore, Nell’s speech reflects the image that Rossetti creates of a “village maid”, as Nell is happy to take up the ‘scraps’ that Maude Clare offers, “what you spurn I’ll wear”.  The words “spurn” connotes the image of rubbish or not wanted things and the use of the words “I’ll wear”  suggests that Nell has no concerns or doubts about having what Maude is finished with which suggests that she lacks the pride that Maude Clare has and displays when she says, “I wash my hands thereof”. This line shows that  Maude Clare will not beg but simply accepts that she cannot marry Thomas and offers Nell the “paltry love” that she knows will let Nell down too. Therefore, despite her low position in the Victorian class system, Maude Clare has a sense of superiority that Nell lacks and despite the power that Thomas’ mother has over him, she cannot stop Thomas from loving Maude Clare due to Maude Clare’s natural superiority.

Christina Rossetti – Context

Working Opportunities

Christina Rossetti lived and wrote in mid to late nineteenth century England, when women were limited as to what they could do. Although they did not exist in complete separate spheres to men, as many working class women had to work to support their families, their occupational opportunities were limited and it wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century that new occupational opportunities became available to women such as shop assistants and typists. Having said this, women were expected to give up their jobs after getting married and this reflects the belief at the time that women were ‘motherly’ figures. The suffragette movement during this time saw an increase in the number of women protesting for a change in womens rights through writing and campaigns.[1]

Male Perceptions of Women’s Poetry

Critics were known to have separate expectations for male poets and women poets and this was shown in a critic’s review of Rossetti’s poetry, “there is not much thinking in them, not much high or deep feeling….they are melodious and sweet”. The critic suggests that Rossetti’s poetry is more “quaint” than meaningful and this sets her aside from many male poets. Rossetti’s own brother was also known to challenge Rossetti’s ability, “came into her head and her hand obeyed the dictation”. He suggests that she is inspired simply by chance and implies that she does not put much thought into her poems like a serious poet would. Despite saying this, not all critics were known to disregard her poetry and she did have many admirers, an example being Alernon Charles Swinburne, who was also a poet.[2]

Eductaion and Childhood

At the time of Rossetti’s childhood it was not compulsory for women to go to school in order to receive an education as this was only introduced in 1870, however, Rossetti’s parents both believed that it was important for women to learn reading and writing skills, having both of her parents been educated themselves. Rossetti, therefore, was a writer from an early age. Rossetti looked upon her childhood as not only a joyous period, but also a sad one as she noted that childhood is the time when you become aware of death. During this historical period death would have been a harsh reality for many children, as a lack of sanitation and understanding of disease causing micro-organisms would have meant that deaths in the family would have been frequent. Much of Rossetti’s poetry focuses on death.[3]

Religious views and her views on the role of women

After a female poet wrote to Christina asking her to support the campaign for women’s right to vote, Rossetti refused, stating that the Bible showed an “unalterable distinction between men and women”.  However, she has her speaker compare the life of a wife to the life of a slave which shows that she was aware of the disadvantages of women at the time. [4] The women in Rossetti’s family were High Church Anglicans and Rossetti herself was very religious. She was diagnosed at the time as having ‘religious mania’ as a teenager after having suffered a nervous breakdown. [5]

[1] http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/Gender.jsp

[2] http://crossref-it.info/textguide/christina-rossetti-selected-poems/28/1897

[3] http://crossref-it.info/textguide/christina-rossetti-selected-poems/28/rossetti-christina/51

[4] http://crossref-it.info/textguide/The-poetry-of-Christina-Rossetti/28/1778

[5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/poets/christina_rossetti.shtml