Dualisms and balances of power: contextualizing the poems of Elizabeth Siddal

Woolley, Anne

Abstract

Existing studies of Elizabeth Siddal are largely biographical and this has coloured the presently limited analysis of her poetry, and to a lesser extent, her art. Where poetic and artistic commentary has been published, it tends to be used as a means of exploring her persona, her work merely forming an illustrative adjunct to a faintly scandalous narrative. This dissertation separates Siddal’s verse from her physical presence and considers it in the contemporary critical context of the ongoing retrieval and re-evaluation of nineteenth- century women’s poetry. More significantly, it considers the texts of her work alongside those of four male poets and one critic who were either personally known to her or were a source of influence or inspiration.

Citation

Woolley, A. (2014). Dualisms and balances of power: contextualizing the poems of Elizabeth Siddal. (Thesis). Keele University. Retrieved from https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/403807

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Keywords: nineteenth-century women's poetry critical context ballad tradition romantic conception pre-raphaelite dualism
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/403807
• Additional Information: Indefinite embargo on electronic copy access - The thesis is due for publication, or the author is actively seeking to publish this material. For access to the hard copy thesis, check the University Library catalogue.
• Award Date: 2014-03