Love Stories: Narrative Discourses of Desire 1800 – the Present

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages andJens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture Culture

Love Stories: Narrative Love Stories: Narrative Discourses of Desire 1800 Discourses of Desire 1800

– the Present– the Present

Session ThreeSession Three


AgendaAgenda

RecapRecap Tennyson, ”The Lady of Shalott”Tennyson, ”The Lady of Shalott” Historicising desire: Catherine BelseyHistoricising desire: Catherine Belsey ProjectsProjects


Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ”The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ”The Cardboard Box”Cardboard Box”

Miss Susan Cushing, a ”maiden lady of fifty” Miss Susan Cushing, a ”maiden lady of fifty” receives a box addressed to Miss S. Cushing, receives a box addressed to Miss S. Cushing, containing two human ears.containing two human ears.

By examining the box and its contents and By examining the box and its contents and interviewing Susan, Holmes is able to lay bare a interviewing Susan, Holmes is able to lay bare a crime of passion: one of the victims is Susan’s crime of passion: one of the victims is Susan’s sister, Mary, the other is a sailor (Alec), and the sister, Mary, the other is a sailor (Alec), and the murderer is Mary’s husband Jim Browner. murderer is Mary’s husband Jim Browner. Moreover, he establishes that the box was Moreover, he establishes that the box was intended for the third sister Sarah, who derailed intended for the third sister Sarah, who derailed the marriage between Mary and Jim.the marriage between Mary and Jim.


Desire Perveted or DerailedDesire Perveted or Derailed

Jim Browner

Mary

Sarah

Alec Fairbairn

Sarah


Recap:Recap:Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ”The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ”The

Cardboard Box”Cardboard Box” Desire of / for / in narrativeDesire of / for / in narrative The proairetic code: the code of actionsThe proairetic code: the code of actions The hermeneutic code: the code of The hermeneutic code: the code of

enigma and mysteryenigma and mystery The anticipation of retrospectionThe anticipation of retrospection


A Summary of Session TwoA Summary of Session Two

Love = the desire or longing for merging or Love = the desire or longing for merging or uniting with an other,uniting with an other,

But union and fusion = death, i.e. the end But union and fusion = death, i.e. the end of longing,of longing,

So merging, uniting and fusing with the So merging, uniting and fusing with the other is staged as an impossibilityother is staged as an impossibility


A Summary of Session OneA Summary of Session One

Love is the love of loveLove is the love of love Love concerns that which threatens or Love concerns that which threatens or

prevents love: physical, social, prevents love: physical, social, pyschological obstaclespyschological obstacles


A Summary of Session OneA Summary of Session One

””La Belle Dame Sans Merci”La Belle Dame Sans Merci” The knight and the elfish lady: love is The knight and the elfish lady: love is

magic (enthralment, enrapture, magic (enthralment, enrapture, captivation, fascination, charm)captivation, fascination, charm)

The narrator and the knight-but-not-quiteThe narrator and the knight-but-not-quite The reader and Keat’s odd poem (ballad The reader and Keat’s odd poem (ballad

metre and frame structure)metre and frame structure)


La Belle Dame Sans MerciLa Belle Dame Sans Merci


La Belle Dame Sans MerciLa Belle Dame Sans Merci


Jean-Honore Fragonard, Jean-Honore Fragonard, The The ReaderReader (1769-72) (1769-72)


Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Lady Reading the Lady Reading the Letters of Heloise and AbelardLetters of Heloise and Abelard (1758-1759) (1758-1759)


Tennyson, ”The Lady of Shalott”Tennyson, ”The Lady of Shalott”

Summarise the poem. Find headings for Summarise the poem. Find headings for each of the four sections. What’s her each of the four sections. What’s her situation like? Why does it change?situation like? Why does it change?

Pay particular attention to the following: Pay particular attention to the following: the lady, Camelot, weaving.the lady, Camelot, weaving.

What’s the theme of the poem?What’s the theme of the poem?


John William Waterhouse 1888John William Waterhouse 1888


John William Waterhouse, 1894John William Waterhouse, 1894


John William Waterhouse, 1916John William Waterhouse, 1916”’I Am Half Sick of Shadows’”, Said ”’I Am Half Sick of Shadows’”, Said

The Lady of Shalott”The Lady of Shalott”


William Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt


John Sidney MeteyardJohn Sidney Meteyard


Arthur HugesArthur Huges


William More EgleyWilliam More Egley


John Atkinson GrimshawJohn Atkinson Grimshaw


Romances in the 21st century: King Arthur Romances in the 21st century: King Arthur (2004), Tristan and Iseult (2006)(2004), Tristan and Iseult (2006)


Theorising Desire – According to Theorising Desire – According to Catherine Belsey. ”Reading Love Catherine Belsey. ”Reading Love

Stories”Stories”Two key assumptions of romance:Two key assumptions of romance: Human beings are divided into mind and Human beings are divided into mind and

bodybody Human beings are incomplete until united Human beings are incomplete until united

with their soul mateswith their soul mates


Theorising Desire – According to Theorising Desire – According to Catherine Belsey. ”Reading Love Catherine Belsey. ”Reading Love

Stories” (cont.)Stories” (cont.) In romances ”true love offers to unify mind and In romances ”true love offers to unify mind and

body” (23)body” (23) However, romances celebrate ”the elemental However, romances celebrate ”the elemental

otherness of desire as a constituent of true love” otherness of desire as a constituent of true love” (28) in metaphors of the destruction of (28) in metaphors of the destruction of subjectivity [remember Keats!]subjectivity [remember Keats!]

””True love, then, is not so much a union of mind True love, then, is not so much a union of mind and body as an alternation of their dominance” and body as an alternation of their dominance” (30)(30)


Belsey, ”Adultery in King Arthur’s Belsey, ”Adultery in King Arthur’s Court”Court”

Arthurian legend: Arthur, Guinevere, Arthurian legend: Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Elaine, Mark, Tristam, Iseult, etc.Lancelot, Elaine, Mark, Tristam, Iseult, etc.

Stories of adultery and homosocial desire: Stories of adultery and homosocial desire: triangular desire - rivalrytriangular desire - rivalry


Belsey, ”Adultery in King Arthur’s Belsey, ”Adultery in King Arthur’s Court”Court”

The literary and cultural history of Arthurian The literary and cultural history of Arthurian legend:legend:

I: the 12th Century romance. ”Love is I: the 12th Century romance. ”Love is passionate, extravagant, agonizing, and passionate, extravagant, agonizing, and obsessional” (108). Love is not related to obsessional” (108). Love is not related to marriage and familymarriage and family

II. The 15th Century romance. Adultery is II. The 15th Century romance. Adultery is tolerated.tolerated.

III. 19th century romance. Adultery in conflict III. 19th century romance. Adultery in conflict with moral and spiritual (religious) dutywith moral and spiritual (religious) duty

Love Stories: Narrative Discourses of Desire 1800 – the Present

Documents

egleyjens kirk

impossibilityjens kirk

lady of shalottjens

frame structurejens

presentsession threejens

culturearthur hugesjens

elfish lady

maiden lady