Brainwork and Community in ‘Eden Bower’

Abstract

By tracing the creative process in the archival drafts of ‘Eden Bower’, I demonstrate the intellectual ardour and creative exertion contained within each of Rossetti's poems. I posit that such a process becomes embedded in his prosody (or affective music of verse), particularly, as this article will explore, the rhythm of the refrain ballads in the first part of Poems (1870). In doing so, I suggest that Poems offers a response akin to William Morris's usage of the performative lyric as a transformation of collective, social fellowship, while providing, also, a framework for defining the lyric potential of Pre-Raphaelite poetics. It is well recognized that Rossetti sought advice and suggestions from friends and fellow poets at every stage in the creation and publication of Poems. And yet, there has been little attention given to Rossetti's responses to those recommendations. Preserved within the archive, Rossetti's material response to these suggestions can be witnessed in his revisions to his poetry. By analysing these drafts alongside the correspondence, I demonstrate the ways in which Rossetti's lyric form and innovation is indebted to fraternal brainwork.