Christina Rossetti: Soeur Louise Flashcards
Which real historical figure may the poem Soeur Louise be based on?
Soeur Louise was a Catholic nun who once belonged to the Italian court, and was known as the Duchess Louise de la Valliere. She was a famous mistress of King Louis IXV of France, and bore him several children. Despite losing the favour of the king, Louise was forced to live in court with him, even sharing a living space with his new mistress- Louis used Louise to conceal other affairs, taking her with him to visit other women to convince the public he was continuing their relationship.
Why do some version of the title of the poem feature the year 1674 in them?
In 1674, Louise de la Valliere joined the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel as a Catholic nun, under the name “Sister Louise of Mercy” — the English translation for the title of Soeur Louise De La Misericorde.
What is the historical significance of a ‘misericorde’? How can this apply to Souer Louise and her life?
A misericorde was a long, narrow knife, used from the High Middle Ages to deliver the death stroke (the mercy stroke, hence the name of the blade, derived from the Latin misericordia, “act of mercy”) to a seriously wounded knight. Louise’s conversion to the Catholic nunnery seems to be her own act of mercy upon herself- her affair with King Louis XIV resulted in her social ‘death’, and her joining of the convent granted her a new life away from the French court.
Rossetti published Soeur Louise in 1881, when she was in her 50s. How might this bring new meaning to the poem?
Perhaps Rossetti may have been reflecting on her own life and loss of desirability: at the end of her life, she may have felt regret at the fact she never married and turned down several proposals. She contracted Graves disease which caused facial disfigurement, which is likely to have resulted in real misery for Rossetti as she had been regarded a beauty in her youth, and was the muse for many of the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood her brothers belong to.
What image becomes a recurring motif throughout the poem and why?
Fire, and specifically dying fire, acts as a motif throughout the poem. Rossetti writes that “dust and dying embers mock [the speaker’s] fire”, which could symbolise the passion the speaker once had and most likely her sexual desire which has now been ‘spent’. Fire usually has connotations of danger; this image therefore suggests the speaker can no longer be hurt or burned by sexual desire or temptation, but have also lost their ‘fire’- their sense of excitement and passion.
Rossetti writes that desire has “turned [the speaker’s] garden plot into barren mire”. What does this imply?
The image of the garden, once presumably full of life, may symbolise Soeur Louise’s past fulfilment: she was once happy when in King Louis XIV’s favour, and had a family with him (one of her children was even legitimised into the royal family). Her garden becomes “barren”, with no hope or prospect of future growth as a ‘fallen woman’ without Louis’ love or protection- she could not even remain with her children as fathers would be considered their custodians.
How could the “barren mire” mentioned by Rossetti be a reference to regrets in her own life?
“Barren” is often a term that in the Victorian era was often associated with childless women who could not conceive children. This image therefore may relate to Rossetti’s decision to never marry, which led to her never beginning her own family. Rossetti may be symbolising her regret over this choice here, reflecting on this in the later years of her life.
The speaker of the poem mentions “my rose of life gone all to prickles”. What could this symbolise?
The rose, a symbol of love and beauty, perhaps becomes a representation of Soeur Louise’s love for King Louis XIV here. What once gave her so much happiness has turned to ‘prickles’ which now cause her pain and suffering.
How and why does the poem have a cyclical structure?
The final word of each stanza is the same- “desire”- and also features in the first line of the poem. The cyclical nature of this poem could imply that desire is an unescapable aspect of human life, but also that it causes inevitable pain, particularly for those that give in to desires.
Which Gothic fiction could this poem be related to and why?
The poem may be influenced by the gothic novel The Fatal Revenge (1807), in which a character called Rosalia is torn between romantic and spiritual love, eventually running away from her convent.
