Pre-Raphaelite movement

The Pre-Raphaelite Movement is an important landmark in the history of English literature. In 1810 Cornelius and Querbeek, the two German painters, founded a society called the German Pre-Raphaelites Brethen. The epithet "Pre-Raphaelite" was applied to all those painters who came before Raphael. They found sweetness, beauty and sincerity in the painters before Raphael. In 1848, D.G.Rossetti, W.H.Hunt and John Millais formed a Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Later Christina Rossetti and Swinburne also join this group. Rossetti himself was not only a writer but he was also a painter. As a result, the Pre-Raphaelite insisted on keen observation of nature and revival of the traditions of the past painters. Some of the characteristics of this school are:

a. Medieval Outlook
The pre-raphaelites derived inspiration from chivalry and superstition of the middle ages. By including mediaeval elements, the pre-raphaelites glorified the past literature.

b. Art for art's sake
The pre-raphaelites were artists first and writers next. Art was in their blood. They only wanted to achieve perfection in literature. Suitable scenes and lavish imagery marked their work.

c. Vivid Visual presentation
As the writers who formed the pre-raphaelite movement were predominantly painters, their poetry was pictorial. Every word they wrote had pictorial quality.

d. Sound, sense and rhythm
In English language there are figures of speech to express ideas effectively. Simile, metaphor and personification swarm the literature. Another figure of speech is onomatopoeia. In this figure of speech, the very pronunciation conveys the sense. Words like glitter, chatter, creek etc. do not need explanation.

e. Sensuousness
This is the another characteristic of pre-raphaelites. For this they were criticized by Buchanan as he says their poetry as the 'fleshy school of poetry'.

 The Pre-Raphaelites based there literature on art and beauty. The influences they made lasted for a long time. It was conspecious in the Aesthetic Movement initiated by Oscar Wide. 

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