Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal (Victorian era - art history)

SteveS said:

Blimey, it's a pity you're not writing a vampire novel The ingredients are all there...

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Wow, no kidding! Too bad I have negative desire to write vampire fiction.

SteveS said:

Have you considered writing the novel from Gabriel's POV, Teleute?

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Yeah, I am considering it; I think that Jo suggested that many comments ago. I'm not sure whose I will do. I'll have to read more about the pre-Raphaelites first, to figure out which POV will work: another model, Ford Madox Brown, Lucy Madox Brown, Rossetti himself, etc... And then I have to write a few samples from the most compelling POV's, ones that were both present during major events and invested in their outcomes, see which I like better... I dunno yet, basically.

But close 3rd person limited is the only POV I have ever written in, and will probably ever write in. I think Rossetti's POV would work better in 1st, but I don't do 1st. Ever. That's not to say that I hate 1st person, but I definitely suck at it.

SteveS said:

I really only suggested a Gabriel POV for one reason:

Gabriel and Lizzie were more or less wrapped up in their own world; an outsider's POV might lack impact, and also insight on the true nature of their relationship.

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Yeah, you may be right. I see at least one big advantage and one big disadvantage to each:

Gabriel- Pro: most interesting prospective relationship-wise
Con: Kind of a douchewaffle, but this may work in my favor

Lizzie- Pro: most interesting prospective life story-wise (I think people are more interested in the subject of about a zillion paintings they've actually seen than in the douche-y painter that married her, though I could be wrong)
Con: good candidate for Mary Sue-ism; the fact that she commits suicide; a lot of the most compelling things happen after her death

Both- ? Haven't thought much about this one yet, but haven't counted it out, either.

SteveS said:

I'm trying my best to see this from a female perspective, and failing badly
So to me, Gabriel's POV would work best, but only because it would give me (if I were the writer) the chance to explore his thinking on art (which totally dominated his approach to life & love, in my opinion).

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Oh, I totally agree. Rossetti's character is far more interesting. Lizzie's life story, though - world's first supermodel, rags-to-riches, etc. - is more interesting. (That does not a work of fiction make, of course.) An upper-middle class artist ruining his life? Well, THAT'S never been covered before, lol. But the manner in which Rossetti totally screwed up his life is fascinating.

The fact that Rossetti was responsible for his own undoing, while Lizzie was mostly NOT responsible for hers, makes his a far better POV and lays out a character arc that is clear as day.

To my (admittedly biased) eyes, Lizzie's POV would be unrelentingly upsetting (her story genuinely is a tragedy, I think)

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Bingo.

and I can't help but see her as a less interesting character than Gabriel. But as I wrote, this may be a naturally 'predjudiced' opinion, given the fact that I'm male & fascinated by Gabriel's mindset.

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I find her really interesting simply because 1) when I was young, I always wondered about the models in the pre-Raphaelite paintings and if they were all the same woman; turns out, they are! (Not entirely, but you get my drift.) And 2) she was the first (that I know of) model in art that was really like a supermodel as we think of them today, rather than, well, a prostitute or something.

If you had to sum each up in twenty-five words or less, Siddal sounds more interesting, basically. Rossetti had the most interesting persona, totally.

I think that I'm the one with gender bias, not you. I think the people attracted to fiction on similar subjects (like the books by Tracy Chevalier) are largely women, also.

I should qualify the above: I don't in any way see Gabriel as a hero - his behaviour towards Lizzie was appalling, whether deliberate or otherwise - I just find his inherent rejection of the real world, real emotions in favour of a 'dreamworld' very interesting.

His life became a tragedy because of his otherworldliness - many mid-to-late Victorian artists portrayed women as lifeless, vulnerable (whether in death, or in repose) yet Gabriel's tragedy was a self-fulfilling prophecy - unlike the other artists, his art was real to him...much to his eventual cost (and Lizzie's, of course.)

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I totally get it. Behaving badly is always way more interesting than behaving well, for one thing. And the way that Rossetti behaved badly is good stuff, and by good I mean compelling.

SteveS said:

Reading your reply, it struck me that I hadn't previously considered just how important a person Lizzie was - I'd never considered her as a 'supermodel' until now...
Perhaps a POV which switches from DGR to Lizzie and vice versa would be apt?

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I think I may do that. I started reading Jan Marsh's Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood, and Lizzie is very compelling. She's not a Mary Sue at all.

Is there a prevailing opinion on when she and Rossetti first had sex? Just curious. They spent a lot of time together alone in Rossetti's apartment early in their relationship--so much so that his roommate actively avoided their domicile.