Keats describes Lamia with contradictions. She is not just
one color but variations of colors. She has characteristics of a zebra but also
that of a leopard. The moons are dissolv’d or shine bright. In line 53 lustres
contradicts the connotation given in the word gloomier. In lines 55 and 56 she is
a lady elf, as wells as a demon’s mistress or a demon’s self. Keats description
prepares for the idea that Lamia is not what she seems and although she appears
in a certain state and manner it is a deception. The description makes the
reader wary of this deception. Coleridge, however, describes Geraldine in
correlating terms. She is a damsel bright in white silken robes. She is stately
and glitters with gems in her hair. Geraldine is surprising because of her
exceeding beauty. In lines 146-170 Lamia is somewhat exposed. She is described
in negative words that bring about the typical image of a serpent. The mixed
colors and animal images from before are replaced here with the picture of pain
scarlet, yellow, and hot.
I agree that Lamia is more exposed in her descriptions. I also think that Coleridge is more subtle when it comes to portraying Geraldine's deceptiveness through description; it's more about the holes in her story and the bad omens later on. He's pretty explicit about Geraldine's illusion later on, but at least in her physical descriptions he doesn't make her seem too deceptive.
ReplyDeleteWhat effect do you think these different types of descriptions has on the characters? I think something about Geraldine's initial descriptions make the bad omens seem even creepier later in the text.