Muse

by Dawn Marie Kresan

Beginning with an epigraph by Robert Graves, which asserts that “woman is muse or she is nothing,” the poems in Muse explore the concepts of influence, creativity, and gender by evoking the tragic figure of Elizabeth Siddal. As a model, then pupil, she married the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and although an artist and poet in her own right, Siddal is best known as a Victorian muse and the inspiration for her husband’s paintings. In sensual and evocative language, Dawn Marie Kresan shifts voices and perspectives, from Siddal’s loss and heartbreak over her stillborn daughter to the poet’s lighthearted reproach of artist William Holman Hunt’s depiction of the Lady of Shalott.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Neve · Rating 5 out of 5]

thought i’d hate this but it might be the best poetry collection i’ve ever read

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good. It does require a lot of background knowledge to truly understand it but I get it and I love it

[Maia Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored it.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection really blew me away, and I feel that it will now always be among my favorite poetry collections. I’m completely in awe of Kresan’s blending of biographical fact with invention, all within the genre of poetry. Despite the (usual) short form, Kresan has delivered a collection as thorough, as emotionally revealing, and as powerful as a longer work of prose. You can tell that a lot of studying, fact finding, genuine curiosity, and even “play” went into crafting this remarkable collection.

[Marthy Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some of these poems for my Uni courser and found them interesting so i decided to use it for a piece of coursework. After reading and analysing the whole collection i think its a strong piece of poetic critique for the pre-raphalite brotherhood but also modern day patriachal norms. Kresan has clear devotion of love and care towards telling Siddal's story and also creating a commentary on the world a woman lives in.

Also bonus mark as it made me interested in analysing art!!

I strongly recommend this anthology its very current and under appreciated

[Alyssa Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the book itself is said to focus on Lizzie Siddal, I saw it more as a tribute to the entire Pre-Raphaelite sisterhood and loved the majority of the poems included within. I am honestly not a great poetry reader, but I was blown away by Kresan's sarcasm, beauty, and aesthetic. Lizzie Siddal and Marilyn Monroe chatting together? Yes. Homages to some of Rossetti's greatest artworks? Yes. One poem that is just about an apple pie and autumn? Yes, yes, yes.

[Annie Burnham · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for my course and some of the works are very well written and intriguing, just not my favourite poetry i’ve ever read. i liked the themes of male dominance and control over women though and thought her imagery was very pretty and well thought out.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really beautiful and witty collection of poems about Elizabeth Siddal.