Monday, March 18, 2013

Difference in Descriptions


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. 

1 comment:

  1. 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.
    What 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.

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