COVE

Phyllis’ Commentary:

 I am very saddened,  yesterday night I learned that Sidney Darrell planned to depart to France for an indefinite amount of time. Personally I may admit my disappointment could be a product of several factors, however overall it is rather frustrating I will not be able to see the final product of the piece I have helped him with. Earlier, Sidney Darell confided in me that he desired to paint me as Cressida. Personally I was flattered to be depicted as such a lovely woman but I did not know much regarding her story and my allusion to her. I had heard her name mentioned and I actually found a novel with her illustration, she is so beautiful, with eyes sweet and dreamlike. I so easily understood  how Darrell could see aspects of her within me, which led me to become very excited to participate. I had to attend several sittings for this piece, and it was rather tiresome but I could not turn down an artist when he was called to inspiration. I admire that about Darell, he holds such a mystery in every action he precedes, i’ve always wondered what runs through his mind especially considering the spontaneity of his actions. However, I know I am likely to not fully understand what runs through him even if he attempted to explain. Part of myself believes this is an aspect of artists, and while their random calls to passion can be rather frustrating with its abrupt nature in playing out, I must also be  considerate of how artists always do think differently. This frustration with artists  reminds me of Gertrude, my aspiring writer of a sister, who always has such a strange way of analyzing things. What has upset me with her lately, is that she holds a strange sort of suspicion towards Darell, even though I have told her that they are not so different and she has no reason to worry. She has informed me bluntly that she does not trust him and does not seem to want to budge from this opinion. I still do not fully  understand where the suspicion comes from. However one thing I can confidently conclude regarding the two, is that they are both very passionate in what they care about.  While I feel rather honored to help Darrell at all and will dismiss this situation as another instance of where spontaneity clashes with our schedule based lifestyle. Gertrude’s reactions regarding Darell has brought me to a bit of thinking. Gertrude’s passions are not inherently just the art she enjoys, she grows passionate for anything she cares for and I suppose that includes myself. I’d Imagine there is some sort of mental exchange that I cannot comprehend, some earnest call to protect her youngest sister. Despite the frustrating series of events I do not suspect any malicious intent from Darrell especially in wake of Gertude’s precautionary “advice”  , for I believe if anything I am old enough to make these judgements for myself.

Editorial commentary:

Cressida is a famous character within stories of the Trojan War, in which her story has been adapted in several famous works. This includes the Shakespearen play “Troilus and Cressida” and the Iliad by Homer. This illustration is from a printing of Shakespear’s play, the play itself goes into detail regarding Cressida in which she is the lover to the character Troilus. The personality of Phyllis demonstrates the way she expresses her interest is playful and indirect, this can be similarly seen within Phyllis, who shows an interest in Darrell, however the traits of the two are slightly different in which Phyllis’ playful nature can be inferred as a product of her young naivety while many critics of Cressida attribute this trait to be a product of wit, in which she is depicted to have the tendency to “entertain” men through her inconsistent display of love. In a later portion of the play Trolius has to leave and this news is brought to her attention after they spend their first night together the story begins to deal with themes of a corrupted or fallen woman, as Cressida is suggested to have lost her innocence at this point.Cressida shows vulnerability as she protests Trolius’ leaving despite acting indifferent about her feelings regarding him previously. Similarly with Phyllis after several sittings and spending a large amount of time with Sidney Darrell, suddenly learned he is leaving, at that moment she appears hurt, which revealed her attachment to Darrell and is a focal point of highlighting her true feelings as she has always dismissed her investment to him when it was brought up by her sisters. Phyllis’ allusion to Cressida implies themes of sexuality and the new woman within societal expectations, however Cressida acts on her own will and demonstrates a great amount of self awareness, while Phyllis’  was in a similar situation, her actions can be seen as less deliberate and naive, as a result the similarities and differences between the two creates an obvious juxtaposition. 

Citations:

Chillington Rutter, Carol. Enter the Body. Routledge. Great Britain, 2001. pp. 124–5.

Published: London and New York: The London Printing and Publishing Company, Limited [1837?]