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The White Lady of Avenel.
As a principle of criticism: imagination is an end in itself, and the intrinsic interest of the White Lady as apiece of art-creation must come before all others—at the same time it is a part of the functions of criticism to analyse the ideas and interests that underlie and are embodied in such a portraiture. [For the whole subject, compare the Introduction to the Edition of 1830, especially paragraphs 15-20.]
Ideas and Interests crystallised into the conception
The central interest is creative curiosity: imagination as a mode of speculation, abstract fancies conveyed in plastic form.
1. Man's origin described as being from the dust of the earth animated by the Divine Spirit—suggests: other beings formed from earth or the other elements without any such Divine admixture—so the Elemental Spirits: Earth and Gnomes, Water and Naiads, Air and Sylphs, Fire and Salamanders: with attributes in accordance—the idea of such unsubstantial beings a foundation for such creations as the White Lady, who seems to partake the attributes of several elements [compare her words in ix. 54, xii. 3; and the Grotto Scene, xi. 31-xii].
2. Man's relation to the rest of the animal creation.
- (a) They surpass him infinitely in single physical qualities—suppose this extended to the intellectual sphere, and the result is an order of beings with physical and mental powers as unlimited as the instincts of animals—supernatural knowledge (of past, present, and future), strength, perception of the invisible, motion, &c. [Compare Davies's idea of man as the horizon between brutes, or mindless bodies, and angels, or bodiless minds.]
- (b) Yet with all his limitations man becomes lord over the brute creation—suggests: so man may by courage mysteriously tame the supernatural spirits, and make them do his will.
- (c) This conquest of the lower creation is achieved by man's power to find out the laws of each order—suggests: these spiritual beings have their secret laws, through the knowledge of which they can be ruled: the whole Rosicrucian philosophy was an attempt to discover such secrets—with this connect the idea of a spell: an utterance mystically connected with the (unknown) laws of some order of spirits. [Compare: xi. 33-36; xvii. 29.]
3. Moral curiosity, as well as intellectual.
- (a) Human passions, u perpetual interest in art, appear in man always in conflict with law—suggests: beings reflecting human passions apart from law and moral responsibility—mischief and caprice a leading characteristic of elemental spirits, and ministers to the art interest of fancy. [Compare xii. 3 (last eight lines), xvii. 39; and especially, the connection of the White Lady with the Duel incidents.]
- (b) Curiosity plays around even the topic of man's fall and redemption—suppose: beings near enough for sympathy yet never fallen and never redeemed; no struggle, but no future—observe they are usually presented as superior in faculties yet lower in fate and moral dignity. [Compare xii. 3 (last six lines), xii. 23, xvii. 30 (verse), xxx. 5. The Peri in Moore's Lalla Rookh is another example.]
