1832’s The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson❤️
Tennyson uses the Lady of Shalott to reflect the inner struggle of an artist locked away in their own world, absorbed in their own artwork & unmindful of the people around them.
The Lady knows that some sort of “curse” has been laid upon her, though she doesn’t know:
“what the curse may be”.
She watches the world through the reflection in her mirror & expresses her growing dissatisfaction with mere reflection of the world.
“I am sick of the shadows”
Then:
“her mirror cracks from side to side”
She then turns and screams:
“the curse has come upon me”
Many believe Tennyson was struggling with including more political and worldly ideas into his story telling. Fearful that his writings would lose some of their magical qualities.
Some fault the lady as weak, but she does enter the real world, at a very high cost to herself. “She has such a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, the Lady Shalott”.
LinkedinCreators: Does your storytelling and your art loose something when you pursue social or romantic issues at the same time? Can they be a balanced?đź’› Tennyson makes us look to our inner selves for answers.