| | J. Formichella: La Belle Dames as a Critical Test Case |
 | | Whatever the historical truth about the controversy, the disagreements of critics over the Lady's character seem still to be focused on the issue of her emotional and sexual "coldness," and on the question of whether or not he reasoning is meant to be taken seriously. |
 | | Within this scenario, a Belle Dame who mercilessly defies a lover's entreaties, in a "poem which defends the right of women to reject unwelcome suitors," [22] would certainly pose enough of a threat to the established order to warrant an attempt at censorship and revision. |
 | | La Belle Dame Sans Merci then is not about the Belle Dame at all, but about the differing responses to her or whatever she signifies for Keats (and we can possibly determine what that is only by examining the spectrum of responses between the texts). |
| prometheus.cc.emory.edu /panels/3D/J.Formichella.html (3881 words) |