The Femme Fatale and Nostalgia Concepts in "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Tennyson
“
The Femme Fatale
” and “Nostalgia”
Concepts in
The Lady of Shalott
Dr. BETÜL ALTAŞ
ELT 208
•
F
emme fatale
characterization of women
in the
nineteenth century
•
The femme fatale
: a study of the early
development of the concept in mid-nineteenth
century poetry and painting
.
•
The woman depicted in
The Lady of Shalott
is
accepted as
a
femme fatale
:
a)
T
he woman’s sexuality
in
The
Lady of Shalott
by Alfred Tennyson
.
b)
how she was punished by
death for acting upon her sexual feelings.
•
The Lady of Shalott
is
depicted as dangerous
because of
her
sexuality
.
•
T
he 19
th
century attitudes towards women’s
sexuality were that
:
a)
it should be
suppressed
b)
the ideal woman was
pious and a virgin.
•
T
he poem shows the ideal that women should
suppress their sexuality:
e.g:
“A curse is on her if she stay / To
look down to Camelot” (135).
•
The Lady of Shalott was driven by her feelings.
•
As Camelot is where men are, the “curse”
suggests that she cannot act upon
her sexual
feelings.
•
Her crime was to fall in love and she paid with
her life.
•
S
he was punished for longing for a man, which
shows the ideal that women should “wait”
while men “seek.”
•
T
he woman in
The Lady of Shalott
was turning
into
a
femme fatale
by acting on her
sexuality
,
and was
punished for it by death.
Nostalgia
•
Tennyson
offers insights into
element of
escapism
in his poetry.
•
He provides
temporary freedom from worry about a world
which is
threatened by major social problems
such
as
:
hunger
disease
alcoholism
the urban and the
prostitution
industrial revolutions
inhumane living conditions
•
Tennyson's romantic narratives provided an
escape to a simpler, happier, and more exotic
world
that is
uncontaminated by the problems
of modern life.
Explore the depiction of the femme fatale and nostalgia themes in Alfred Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott." The poem delves into societal attitudes towards women's sexuality in the 19th century, portraying the consequences of the protagonist acting upon her desires. Additionally, Tennyson's work is analyzed for its portrayal of escapism and temporary relief from societal issues prevalent during that era.
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Presentation Transcript
The Femme Fatale and Nostalgia Concepts in The Lady of Shalott Dr. BET L ALTA ELT 208
Femme fatale characterization of women in the nineteenth century The femme fatale : a study of the early development of the concept in mid-nineteenth century poetry and painting.
The woman depicted in The Lady of Shalott is accepted as a femme fatale: a) The woman s sexuality in The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Tennyson. b) how she was punished by death for acting upon her sexual feelings.
The Lady of Shalott is depicted as dangerous because of her sexuality. The 19thcentury attitudes towards women s sexuality were that: a)it should be suppressed b) the ideal woman was pious and a virgin.
The poem shows the ideal that women should suppress their sexuality: e.g: A curse is on her if she stay / To look down to Camelot (135). The Lady of Shalott was driven by her feelings. As Camelot is where men are, the curse suggests that she cannot act upon her sexual feelings.
Her crime was to fall in love and she paid with her life. She was punished for longing for a man, which shows the ideal that women should wait while men seek.
The woman in The Lady of Shalott was turning into a femme fatale by acting on her sexuality, and was punished for it by death.
Nostalgia Tennyson offers insights into element of escapism in his poetry.
He provides temporary freedom from worry about a world which is threatened by major social problems such as: hunger disease alcoholism prostitution the urban and the industrial revolutions inhumane living conditions
Tennyson's romantic narratives provided an escape to a simpler, happier, and more exotic world that is uncontaminated by the problems of modern life.
