Close reading #1 by Sam Jaworski
The Victorian Concept of Women in D.G. Rossetti’s Jenny
By Sam Jaworski
In D.G. Rossetti’s poem Jenny, the Victorian conception of female weakness and impurity is exemplified in
the narrator’s speech to the sleeping Jenny. Mainstream Victorian thought was that women needed a male
presence to guide them through life and ensure that they stay free of moral corruption, be that promiscuity or
general impurity of the soul. The Victorians therefore placed men above women both morally and intellectually.
Men were believed to have strong principles, whereas women were considered weak.
The first indication of the superiority the narrator feels he has over Jenny is that Jenny’s sleeping head lay on
his knee. Because of this the narrator is physically above Jenny, implying that he is also intellectually above her.
The narrator is able to look down upon Jenny from above, whereas, were she awake, she would only be able to
look up to him (in reverence, the narrator would prefer) from that position. Jenny’s weakness is also described
in the line “Poor little Jenny, good to kiss” (299). Here the narrator demeans Jenny as if she is a child, yet he still
loves her, as he will still kiss her. This apparent dichotomy in the narrator’s opinion of Jenny was not uncommon
for the age. It was considered a fact of life that women possessed weaker foundations then men, and love
between a man and woman could exist in spite of this. Nonetheless, there would have been a different dynamic
to the relationship than exists today with such roles engrained into society. The female inability to see the world
through a rational, intelligent perspective is further advanced when the narrator contemplates “If but a woman’s
heart might see / Such erring heart unerringly / For once! But that can never be” (250-253).
Even though the narrator speaks of Jenny lovingly, he appears to be ashamed of her, as if she were impure.
Indeed, it did not take much provocation for a woman to gain a bad reputation. Being known for promiscuity
was to be feared on a much greater level in Victorian society than contemporary. An example of this sentiment is
when the narrator suggests that many London children have seen her lifted skirt. The narrator is very harsh and
appears to have a vendetta against his love, which could be either a cause or result of Jenny’s apparent impurity.
He states that his cousin Nell is the girl he is proudest of, and says that when he looks at Jenny, “The woman
almost fades from view” (277).
As is the case with Porphyria in Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover, Jenny remains silent for the entire
poem, with every notion or idea being put forth by the narrator. In Victorian society, women were not as widely
published (some, like George Elliot, going so far as using a male alias to gain recognition), nor were their ideas as
respected as men’s. Just as in Browning’s poem, whether or not Jenny is actually impure and worth being
ashamed of is a mystery; the reader is only allowed to hear what the man has to say about her.
By Sam Jaworski
In D.G. Rossetti’s poem Jenny, the Victorian conception of female weakness and impurity is exemplified in
the narrator’s speech to the sleeping Jenny. Mainstream Victorian thought was that women needed a male
presence to guide them through life and ensure that they stay free of moral corruption, be that promiscuity or
general impurity of the soul. The Victorians therefore placed men above women both morally and intellectually.
Men were believed to have strong principles, whereas women were considered weak.
The first indication of the superiority the narrator feels he has over Jenny is that Jenny’s sleeping head lay on
his knee. Because of this the narrator is physically above Jenny, implying that he is also intellectually above her.
The narrator is able to look down upon Jenny from above, whereas, were she awake, she would only be able to
look up to him (in reverence, the narrator would prefer) from that position. Jenny’s weakness is also described
in the line “Poor little Jenny, good to kiss” (299). Here the narrator demeans Jenny as if she is a child, yet he still
loves her, as he will still kiss her. This apparent dichotomy in the narrator’s opinion of Jenny was not uncommon
for the age. It was considered a fact of life that women possessed weaker foundations then men, and love
between a man and woman could exist in spite of this. Nonetheless, there would have been a different dynamic
to the relationship than exists today with such roles engrained into society. The female inability to see the world
through a rational, intelligent perspective is further advanced when the narrator contemplates “If but a woman’s
heart might see / Such erring heart unerringly / For once! But that can never be” (250-253).
Even though the narrator speaks of Jenny lovingly, he appears to be ashamed of her, as if she were impure.
Indeed, it did not take much provocation for a woman to gain a bad reputation. Being known for promiscuity
was to be feared on a much greater level in Victorian society than contemporary. An example of this sentiment is
when the narrator suggests that many London children have seen her lifted skirt. The narrator is very harsh and
appears to have a vendetta against his love, which could be either a cause or result of Jenny’s apparent impurity.
He states that his cousin Nell is the girl he is proudest of, and says that when he looks at Jenny, “The woman
almost fades from view” (277).
As is the case with Porphyria in Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover, Jenny remains silent for the entire
poem, with every notion or idea being put forth by the narrator. In Victorian society, women were not as widely
published (some, like George Elliot, going so far as using a male alias to gain recognition), nor were their ideas as
respected as men’s. Just as in Browning’s poem, whether or not Jenny is actually impure and worth being
ashamed of is a mystery; the reader is only allowed to hear what the man has to say about her.
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