Writing the Pre-Raphaelites : Text, Context, Subtext

This interdisciplinary collection uncovers the neglected role of the written word in the success of the Pre-Raphaelites. The essays argue that a complex network of texts established the credibility of Pre-Raphaelitism as a radical movement. Detailed case studies reveal how the movement''s wide influence derived from the interplay between exhibited works and critical discourse. Pre-Raphaelitism''s pioneering avant-garde strategies can claim a central place in the history of nineteenth-century European culture.

This vibrant collection of essays claims that a complex network of texts by critics, biographers and diarists established the credibility and influence of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Throughout the twentieth century, Modernist taste failed to acknowledge the achievement of oppositional groupings such as the Pre-Raphaelites. The essays collected here, however, reveal that the British group anticipated later avant-gardes by using the written word to configure for itself a radical artistic identity. Public and critics alike were scandalized by the radicalism of Pre-Raphaelite painting, its unflinching portrayal of historical figures and of contemporary life, and its irreverent attitude to artistic convention. Pre-Raphaelitism''s innovations were not confined to style: new forms of artistic identity and behaviour were explored. As the contributors interrogate the texts through which Pre-Raphaelitism was constructed, they demonstrate that the movement''s wide influence as a cultural phenomenon derived from the interplay between exhibited works and critical discourse. Applying a range of sophisticated methodologies from the fields of literary studies, art history, and cultural studies, these interdisciplinary essays uncover the neglected role of texts in the success of the Pre-Raphaelite rebellion and argue in favor of a new centrality for this movement in the history of nineteenth-century European culture.