Writing the Pre-Raphaelites book summary

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 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 Writing the Pre Raphaelites Text Context SubtextTim Barringer is Paul Mellon Professor of the History of Art at Yale University.