Keats: Overcoming Resentment through Lamia By Robbin Zirkle It is perhaps one of the primary goals of literary criticism to ascertain

how a work of literature reflects its creator or the environment in which it was crafted. What some criticism fails to do, however, is identify how these innate relationships may be overcome in a text, that is, how an author overcomes his or her own perspective, or the perspective of society at large. Many literary critics identify John Keatss emotional and psychological issues with female dominance or perceived power and point out how these problems, as well as problematic attitudes from society reveal themselves in his work. After reconsidering some of Keatss work, however, it seems that his poem Lamia in particular represents an internal struggle with female power which Keats overcomes through the characterization and reclamation of the creature Lamia. Many critics have addressed Keats and/or attitudes towards women during the Romantic Era, but several critics stand out above the rest for a variety of reasons. In Lamia: The Rainbow-Sided Female Karla Alwes argues that Keats uses Lamia to unleash his own personal issues with female power, specifically comparing the title character, Lamia, to Keatss love interest, Fanny Brawne. Alwes states that there is a facile connection between Fanny and Lamia (Alwes 147). Keats had a famously frustrating relationship with Brawne, and it is no surprise that Alwes points out that (in Lamia) the female is characterized byunrelenting ambivalence (Alwes 144). In her conclusion, Alwes implies that Keatss ambivalence indicates a purely negative attitude toward Lamia.

Similarly to Alwes, Margaret Homans addresses Keatss personal attitude toward his female readers in Keats Reading Women, Women Reading Keats. Homans argues that much of Keatss work is a defense against feminizationdifferent aspects of his life might have become especially galling to him in the light of his susceptibility to other kinds of feminization (Alwes 88). Reinforcing Alwes and Homanss arguments is Dr. G.J. Barker-Benfields article Women and Individualism: Inner and Outer Struggles over Sensibility argues that society perpetuated ideas about sex and gender as something essential, and these were reinforced by literature. Furthermore, Barker-Benfield argues that while women and men could redefine themselves sexually, they would not find support in popular culture or texts. Barker-Benfield cites a variety of popular texts to support this conclusion ranging from the work of Mary Wollstonecraft to The Spectator. Each of these three critics makes excellent points regarding Romantic society as well as Keatss own life and issues. However, the implication that his work is solely a representation of his own youthful angst and repression is shallow. When considering somewhat obscure work from Keats such as Lamia, it is apparent that the poems may in fact demonstrate an effort to overcome underlying issues with female power, which would easily manifest themselves in Keatss personality due to the circumstances identified by Barker-Benfield, Homans, Alwes, and many other critics. The poem Lamia was published in 1820 and was written in two parts, both of which were revised and published between 1819 and 1820. Keats was likely influenced by Coleridges Christabel, and he was also familiarized with the definition of the lamia from Lemprires classical dictionary:

Certain monsters of Africa, who had the face and breast of a woman and the rest of the body like that of a serpent. They allured strangers to them, that they might devour them, and though they were not endowed with the faculty of speech, yet their hissings were pleasing and agreeable (John Keats 1340). Taking this gruesome mythological symbol as his muse, Keats crafts a story whose focus is a lamia. The God Hermes searches for a nymph who he is determined to love but cannot find her because she is invisible. Instead, he meets Lamia, who reveals the nymph to him; in thanks, Hermes returns Lamia to her human form. Lamia seeks out Lycius, a young man living in Corinth. The two fall in love and marry, but their relationship is destroyed when Apollonius, a prophet, exposes Lamias true identity at the reception following the wedding. Consequently, Lamia returns to her serpent form and Lycius dies of horror. On the surface, Lamia appears to represent a negative projection of women; while Keats uses the monstrous symbol of the African female-beast, he ultimately reclaims this image. Keatss description of Lamia is initially somewhat savage and unforgiving: She seemed at once some penance lady elf/Some demons mistress, or the demons self (55-56). There is a noticeable shift in the speakers attitude, however, when Keats writes, for her eyes: what could such eyes do there/But week and weep, that they were born so fair? (61-62). Keats continues to reclaim the lamia as he develops her character. After Lamia claims a human body once more, she is described as A full-born beauty new and exquisite (171-172), speaking not only to an aesthetic beauty, but also to an air and manner of being which she imbibes. This particular characterization may allude to Romantic ideals of the elegant female. This newfound persona shifts after Lamia convinces Lycius, to take her back to his home in

Corinth. Upon recognizing Apollonius, Lamia begins to shudder and sweat wearily (369-371), breaking the carefully constructed beauty of the woman Lamia (rather than the monster). In part two, Keats begins to twist Lamias fate. All begins well: on their first night back, the two sleep in nearby beds so that they may watch while the other sleeps. Lycius is taken by Lamia when she whispers to him: You have deserted me; where am I now?/Not in your heart while care weighs on your brow./ No, no, you have dismissed me, and I go/From your breast houselessaye, It must be so (42-45). This attempt to free herself from Lycius may on the surface appear to be deceptive, but could also demonstrate an attempt to free herself from the bindings of social conventionality and marriage which will ultimately lead to Lamias demise. Ultimately, Apollonius outs Lamia at the feast following the wedding, despite his denied invitation. In his final declamation, Apollonius exclaims, Fool!....From every ill/Of life have I preserved thee to this day,/And shall I see thee made a serpents prey? (295-297). It is in this single statement that Apollonius strips Lamia of her pride and self-respect, and devalues her. He equates her with a mere serpent (305) and removes every sense of beauty from her character; she is no longer a goddess, elusive and impenetrable (Alwes 144). Alwes, Homans and Barker-Benfield all bring up legitimate concerns about Romantic attitudes toward females and female power, particularly the idea that sex and gender are immovable. It is a shallow observation, however, to say that Lamia only reveals Keatss resentment toward women. As demonstrated, Keats reclaims the traditional form of a lamia, enabling his title character to become more than a seductive serpentshe becomes a truly elegant, sensitive being with deep feelings for Lycius. In contrast, a lamia is a monster who intends to devour strangers, similarly to a siren in Greek mythology. Keats never provides any

indication that Lamia intends to do more than love Lycius, and suggests that her feelings for him are so deep that she must watch him while he sleeps (22-25). In this characterization, Keats has redefined the traditional seductress-female and has replaced her with a woman of acute feeling and rationality. Reframing this archetypal character can be seen as an effort to overcome common resentful attitudes toward self-reliant women on Keatss behalf. In addition to reclaiming the symbol of a lamia through characterization, Keats twists traditional Romantic storylines in this narrative. Lamia is given her human form as a gift from a male, Hermes. While this might be seen as demeaning to female power and self-reliance, he gives her this gift as thanks when she enables him to see the nymph with whom he is enamored. This single incident sets the process in motion, and indicates that Lamia is the individual with the power to influence her own future. This distinction potentially reflects an attempt on Keatss behalf to empower his female lead and does not speak to an air of resentment toward femalesjust the opposite: this may be an attempt to overcome such resentment. Although Alwes and make reasonable statements about Keatss work, to conclude that his writing is disdainful of the female sex hardly addresses a variety of possibilities. Furthermore, Barker-Benfield communicates the idea that although women and men have the opportunity to redefine themselves sexually, they would not find support in popular culture or texts. This conclusion, however, does not address the possibility that empowerment might be gleaned indirectly from texts that might suggest something outside of the popular realm. It is important when evaluating the work of different writers that critics and intellectuals not overlook multiple levels of activity at work. As demonstrated in Keatss Lamia, a piece of

literature may be used as a part of a psychological process (of overcoming preexisting issues) that defies issues that are obvious to an outsider. Obvious connections between an author and his or her work is significant, however, as it provides a point of reference for an academic to explore. Clearly, in the case of Lamia, many powers and influences are at work, making it a thought-provoking piece of poetry.

Works Cited Alwes, Karla. The Rainbow-Sided Female. Imagination Transformed: The Evolution of the Female Character in Keatss Poetry. N.p.: Southern Illinois University, 1993. 144-160. Google Book Search. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. Barker-Benfield, G. J. Women and Individualism: Inner and Outer Struggles over Sensibility. The Culture of Sensibility: Sex and Society in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992. 287-348. Google Book Search. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. Homans, Margaret. Keats Reading Women, Women Reading Keats. Romanticism: Romanticism and the Margins. By Michael ONeill and Mark Sandy. New York: Routledge, 2006. 66-93. Google Book Search. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. John Keats. 1994. Romanticism. Ed. Duncan Wu. 3rd ed. Malden: Blackwell, 2006. 1332-1342. Print.