The submerged woman

The aestheticization of tragic femininity in Elizabeth Siddal

Abstract

This essay examines different aesthetic representations of Elizabeth Siddal, model and muse of the Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century. Over time, various representations reveal how her image was successively constructed and idealised in the context of patriarchal society. The methodology adopted articulates historical, literary and aesthetic analysis with a feminist perspective, allowing one to understand both the mechanisms that consolidate imaginary projections surrounding Siddal and their critical reappropriations in contemporary culture. The discussion begins with the painting Ophelia (1851–1852), by Millais, whose composition promotes the propriety and suitability of the fragile woman exposed to the male gaze. Two case studies follow: the music video Where the Wild Roses Grow (1995), by Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, which evokes the imagery of murder ballads and the idealised female victim, and the novel Adoecer (2011), by Hélia Correia, which revisits Siddal’s life through tragic lens and highlights the social constraints imposed by the prevailing social order. The analysis reveals an increasing critical reassessment of the idealisation of the dead woman and of patriarchal representations of Siddal’s life and death, highlighting the critical potential of these works.