Maude Clare by Rossetti

criticism of institution of marriage
challenge to patriarchal society
following/breaking your heart- highlighting that men can do whatever before marriage- still be pale/inward- women then considered outcasts
nature- romance, refuge, simplicity
revenge
victorian society repressing emotions and true love
statuses, inequalities, hierarchy in society
change between generations- older values
ballad form- beginning, middle, end- inevitability- only way to express feelings- putting forward strong emotions- warning
story- cannot be accused of spreading rumours in society- stories easily exaggerated
representing the outsider
poem named after who it is directed at
anonymous narrator- does not wish to be pitied- only an onlooker- no attention drawn
third person narrator- opinion for Maude Clare- named in first stanza- lord and Nell indicated by pronouns
village- supposed safety and security- church- religious
similes- character contrast- 'maid'- 'queen'- opposite to position at wedding
female voices- dominate- first direct speech- power over men- matriarchal
mother- voice of past- experience- reference to father- strange as not there- wedding day
Nell- humbler name- innocent victim- 'pale' repetition- purity- strife- beauty- anxiety- may not get off to good start
'pale'- different connotations…

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