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Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis—Family Portrait:
Upon hearing, in the 16th chapter, that the Flamboroughs have had their portrait painted, the Primroses commission the same painter for a family portrait. Dr. Primrose recounts how each member of the family asks to be depicted, most of them requesting to be represented as mythical or historical figures. The passage, replete with allusions, provides rich visual imagery of the resulting painting:
My wife desired to be represented as Venus, and the painter was desired not to be too frugal of his diamonds in her stomacher and hair. Her two little ones were to be as Cupids by her side, while I, in my gown and band, was to present her with my books on the Whistonian controversy. Olivia would be drawn as an Amazon, sitting upon a bank of flowers, drest in a green joseph, richly laced with gold, and a whip in her hand.
These allusions to Greek mythology create a comical atmosphere, given the wide gap between the grand vision being depicted and what they actually look like. While on the one hand there is something endearing to the unabashed wishful thinking they allow themselves, there is on the other hand something pitiful to their extravagant fantasies. The Primrose family may be respectable, but they have little splendor to boast of. From Dr. Primrose's description of his wife in the first chapter, the reader knows that she does not resemble the beautiful Greek goddess of love and fertility. And she certainly does not possess any diamonds. Dr. Primrose does not ask to be represented as anyone but himself, dressed in his vicar's gown and holding his books on monogamy. His desire to be depicted plainly is just as revealing as his family members' desire to be depicted fantastically, as it shows how seriously he takes himself. Additionally, the difference in how the husband and wife ask to be painted has an ironic effect, given that essentially all that the goddess Venus stands for clashes with Dr. Primrose's views on monogamy and marriage.
Additionally, it is revealing that Squire Thornhill asks to be included in the portrait as Alexander the Great, a ruthless military leader with a significant degree of megalomania. All of these requests shed light on how the characters see themselves, revealing their pathetic lack of self awareness:
Our taste so much pleased the ’Squire, that he insisted on being put in as one of the family in the character of Alexander the great, at Olivia’s feet.
The portrait's imagery is informed by the Primrose family's sense of competition and superiority vis-à-vis their neighbors the Flamboroughs. What results is a ridiculous collection of mythical and historical figures that do not complement each other. Their intention to appear wealthier and more refined than the Flamboroughs backfires with the absurd, tasteless painting that comes of it.
Related Themes:
