Maude Clare Flashcards
narrator maude clare
detached and omniscient
no bias to either side
rhythm maude clare
alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines
awkward meter parallels the situation
queenly maude clare
“lofty step”
appears superior to Nell
unashamed and proud
Nell was like maude clare
a “village maid”
contrast to Maude like a “queen”
marriage maude clare
the conversations in the poem shatter the image of marriage as a state of fulfilled love
perhaps Rossetti’s view
innocence maude clare nell
“so pale” - Nell
pure, unlike Maude
Maude embodies….
a scorned Victorian woman
victim of society
the fallen woman was a popular figure in Victorian culture
Maude’s sarcasm
“bless the marriage-bed”
Maude going against society
“we waded ankle deep”
intimacy that would’ve been inappropriate in Victorian era
virginity maude clare
“we plucked from the budding bough”
suggesting she lost her virginity to Thomas
Thomas calls Maude
“Maude Clare” which could imply their close relationship
caesura maude clare
” - and hid his face”
Thomas can’t articulate but Maude can
a clear critique of dominant masculinity
blooms maude
“the blooms were gone”
the best of Thomas has gone to Maude
Thomas’s continued love for Maude
implied by Nell as she says “I’ll love him till he loves me best”
persevering love
poem ends on maude clare
“Maude Clare” - ends on her name, suggesting she gets the last word
Rossetti uses maude clare to comment on
difference between
woman’s actual desires and
Limitations of her place with Victorian society
presentation of men maude clare
as weak - “strove to” “faltered”
as vulnerable - “pale”
contrast to Victorian expectations and shifts the power to women
Rossetti shows maude clare
an interest in female dialogue
power shift to Maude Clare
Simon Mold RossettiVIBRANT
Rossetti’s poems give a vibrant voice to the female experience,
