Femslash February - Day 25
Book rec: Christabel by Coleridge
It's a long poetry! But it's a short book.
Because it's relevant to femslash feb: When I read Nona the Ninth, I wondered about the literary significance of the Lyctors and Cavaliers names. Christabel ringed a bell, but nothing more. I ckecked it, and I was like:
Why did no one ever told me of a story that has f/f subtext monster/human with canon mind control?
Oh, it's because it's unfinished, therefore frustrating.
But I still want more people to read it, because it needs fanfic! Because it's unfinished!
Since then, I have been asking for it in a lot of fandom exchanges. You never know :-D
So! Christabel is a medieval young woman. As she prays for her absent fiancé at night, a very beautiful woman appears, asking for hospitality; she says she was kidnapped by brigands. Despite the efforts of her mother's ghosts, Christabel invites her in her father's castle, to sleep with her in her bed.
Here she discovers that the woman, Geraldine, is not human, but she gets bespelled not to be able to tell her father. The day after, Geraldine, to the father, says she is the daughter of her former friend-turned-enemy, and the father, charmed, wants to prepare their reunion, maybe reconcile with the father.
And then it's not finished. And honestly, it's not predictable enough, I have no idea how it was meant to end!
Yet Geraldine nor speaks nor stirs;
Ah! what a stricken look was hers!
Deep from within she seems half-way
To lift some weight with sick assay,
And eyes the maid and seeks delay;
Then suddenly, as one defied,
Collects herself in scorn and pride,
And lay down by the Maiden's side!-
And in her arms the maid she took,
Ah wel-a-day!
And with low voice and doleful look
These words did say:
'In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell,
Which is lord of thy utterance, Christabel!
Thou knowest to-night, and wilt know to-morrow,
This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow;
But vainly thou warrest,
For this is alone in
Thy power to declare,
That in the dim forest
Thou heard'st a low moaning,
And found'st a bright lady, surpassingly fair;
And didst bring her home with thee in love and in charity,
To shield her and shelter her from the damp air.'
It's a long poetry! But it's a short book.
Because it's relevant to femslash feb: When I read Nona the Ninth, I wondered about the literary significance of the Lyctors and Cavaliers names. Christabel ringed a bell, but nothing more. I ckecked it, and I was like:
Why did no one ever told me of a story that has f/f subtext monster/human with canon mind control?
Oh, it's because it's unfinished, therefore frustrating.
But I still want more people to read it, because it needs fanfic! Because it's unfinished!
Since then, I have been asking for it in a lot of fandom exchanges. You never know :-D
So! Christabel is a medieval young woman. As she prays for her absent fiancé at night, a very beautiful woman appears, asking for hospitality; she says she was kidnapped by brigands. Despite the efforts of her mother's ghosts, Christabel invites her in her father's castle, to sleep with her in her bed.
Here she discovers that the woman, Geraldine, is not human, but she gets bespelled not to be able to tell her father. The day after, Geraldine, to the father, says she is the daughter of her former friend-turned-enemy, and the father, charmed, wants to prepare their reunion, maybe reconcile with the father.
And then it's not finished. And honestly, it's not predictable enough, I have no idea how it was meant to end!
Yet Geraldine nor speaks nor stirs;
Ah! what a stricken look was hers!
Deep from within she seems half-way
To lift some weight with sick assay,
And eyes the maid and seeks delay;
Then suddenly, as one defied,
Collects herself in scorn and pride,
And lay down by the Maiden's side!-
And in her arms the maid she took,
Ah wel-a-day!
And with low voice and doleful look
These words did say:
'In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell,
Which is lord of thy utterance, Christabel!
Thou knowest to-night, and wilt know to-morrow,
This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow;
But vainly thou warrest,
For this is alone in
Thy power to declare,
That in the dim forest
Thou heard'st a low moaning,
And found'st a bright lady, surpassingly fair;
And didst bring her home with thee in love and in charity,
To shield her and shelter her from the damp air.'