Pre-Raphaelite Poetry & Important Facts

A Brief Introduction

The Pre-Raphaelite movement started in the forties of the Victorian age a protest against the ugliness of the age. It was essentially a movement of painting, later it became the movement of poetry. The artists associated with Pre Raphaelitism not only used pens but also pencils to illustrate their themes. The leading figures of this school of poetry were D.G. Rossetti, William morris and A.C. Swinburne.

The Pre-Raphaelite movement is a group of artists and men of letters organised themselves in 1848 to pursue the general aim to returning to certain standards simplicity, Sincerity, fidelity to nature which they had clescerned in European art before the influence of the Italian painter Raphael. The group included Dante Gariel Rossetti and his brother William Holman, Hunt, millias, Thomas Woolner.

Important Facts to Remember

1. The Pre-Raphaelites belived in the principle of Art for art’s sake. Art not life was their religion. In poetry in painting they pained at perfect form and finish. Neither the democratic ideals nor the scientific and philosophical problems of the age attracted them. Like the Aesthetas the Pre-Raphaelites were free from any moral or didactic purpose. They aimed at perfect form and finish their emphasis was on form rather than on substance. In this respect they were pine Romantics.

2. The pre-Raphaelite poets were very much inspired by keats. Keats was highly sensuous. The poetry of the Pre-Raphaelites is also marked with sensuousness. Rossettise’s poetry is immensely sensuous and passionate which shelley and browning gave sensuousness of feeling, Rossetti gave sensuousness to thought. Besides Keats, Tennyson also had a great influence of Pre-Raphaelites.

3. The Pre-Raphaelites were accused by some critics as poets belonging to the Fleshy school of poetry it was an account of the fact that sexual passion portrayed more explicitly by the Pre-Raphaelites in their poetry than it was usual at that time.

4. The charge of the fleshy elements in the poetry of Rossetti and other Pre-Raphaelites is probably by the conservative victorian Critics who laid greater emphasis on decency, decorum, discipline, order and respectability. The chief aim of the pre-Raphaelites was to depict or create beauty for its own sake.

5. The Pre-Raphaelites were great pictorial artists. Picturequeness is the chief characteristics of their art. The pictures are drawn with richness of a painter’s brush. Rossetti poetry is most pictorial. In this respect, he may favourably be compared with Keats and Tennyson.

6. The Pre-Raphaelites turned their eyes to the good old age of mealievalism in order to escape from the darkness and ugliness of contemporary society. The romance, Chivalry and Supersitions of the middle ages formed the theme of their poetry. In fact the Pre-Raphaelites poetry is a continuation of Romantic poetry headed by coleridge and Keats.

7. The Pre-Raphaelite poetry was a revolt against the Conventionality of the poetry represented by tennyson. The poets of the Pre-Raphaelites School glorified art rather than the temporay values of Earthly life.

8. The most remarkable quality of Pre-Raphaelite poetry is that it is highly musical. It is rich in melody. Of all the pre-Raphaelites, Surnburne was the most musical. The aieteration and the onomato poetics effects arise quite spontaneously.