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Summary Notes on 'Some ladies dress in muslin full and white' by Christina Rossetti
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Notes on 'Some ladies dress in muslin full and white' by Christina Rossetti , including summary and analysis.
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Christina Rossetti poetrySome Ladies dress in Muslin full and white
Meaning:
‘Some Ladies…’ could be considered one of Rossetti’s more light-hearted poems
in which she explores stereotypes of women and dress. The young Rossetti is
describing the social expectations of different Victorian classes based on factors
such as, clothing, gender, transport and age; this poem is a form of social satire
which criticises the way in which people are expected to behave and dress within
Victorian society and how often appearances are relative to class . The speaker’s
satirical and even mocking tone within this poem could be said to be reflective of
the poet’s own views, writing at only a young age. She dismisses those who
dress for vanity and materialism rather than practicality; this could link to the
seven deadly sin of pride. This poem came about during what was known as a
‘bout rhyme’ game between Christina and her brother’s Dante Gabriel and
William in which two of them would race to compose a sonnet conforming to a
set of line endings provided by one of the others. Hence, this may confirm the
light-hearted nature of the poem. And yet this short sonnet still conveys
interesting critique of Victorian society.
Structure and Form:
Due to the nature of the ‘bout rhyme’ game from which this poem receives its
origins, the form of this poem is a sonnet, with iambic pentameter used
consistently throughout. It could be said that the appearance of regularity and
conformity of the form in this sense suggests the speaker’s suggestion of
conformity to expected appearances within society; the regularity could even be
interpreted as ironic in that that a lack of deviation highlights the speaker’s
critique of conformity. However, the Petrarchan sonnet form does not divide
perfectly into an octet and sestet and there is in fact no rhyming couplet at the
very end of the poem. Indeed, this concealed lack of consistency could be
alluding to Victorian double-standards, and how many may expect others to obey
norms of dress code and behaviour etc., whilst choosing to ignore them
themselves. Equally the rhyme scheme itself is not at all regular, which all the
more adds to this inconsistency, following the rhyme pattern ABBAABBACDEEDC
with the use of Volta between rhymes of A and C putting particular emphasis on
the line ‘Towering above her sex with horrid height’ which suggests Rossetti’s
negative view on feminism, which can be discussed further in reference to
language. It is as though the young and rebellious Rossetti creates her own form
in which to follow.
The first four lines of the poem are anaphoric with the use of this repeated
‘some’:
Some ladies dress in muslin full and white,
Some gentlemen in cloth succinct and black;
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