The Dewy Morn · Chapter
XIV explained
Martial Barnard, torn between his past with Rosa and his growing fascination with Felise, attempts to resist his attraction by destroying tokens of their encounter, but finds himself haunted by her image.
What happens
Martial Barnard, torn between his past with Rosa and his growing fascination with Felise, attempts to resist his attraction by destroying tokens of their encounter, but finds himself haunted by her image. He secretly observes Felise by a pool, where her beauty overwhelms him, leading to an internal struggle between aesthetic admiration and emotional involvement.
Themes in this chapter
Beauty and Aesthetic Worship
Martial's intense admiration of Felise's beauty is described as a quasi-religious experience, elevating her to a work of art.
Obsession and Jealousy
Martial's inability to stop thinking about Felise and his secret observations reveal an obsessive fixation.
Freedom vs. Control
Martial struggles to maintain his emotional independence and resist the pull of his feelings for Felise.
Characters to notice
- Martial Barnard
Struggles with his attraction to Felise, attempts to destroy reminders of her, and secretly watches her by the pool.
- Felise Goring
Observed by Martial at dawn and later by the pool; her beauty and passionate gaze captivate him.
- Rosa Wood
Mentioned as the object of Martial's previous courtship; he feels guilt over his cruelty to her.
- Ruy
Martial's horse, used during his rides and later mentioned in the encounter with Felise.
- Mary Shaw
Briefly mentioned as accompanying Felise during the earlier scene in the fern.
Key passages
“Till this instant he had never met anything that answered to the poetry—the romance—in his heart.”
Until now, he had never encountered anything that matched the poetic and romantic ideals he held within.
Describes Martial's first true experience of beauty.
“It was his own idea of loveliness—the idea within him—which he had applied to Rosa, and endowed her with what she had not, as the sunset colours a dull wall.”
He had projected his own concept of beauty onto Rosa, attributing qualities to her that she did not possess, much like sunset light coloring a plain wall.
Highlights Martial's tendency to idealize women.
“Before those beautiful knees he could have bowed his forehead in the grass, in the purest worship of beauty.”
He felt such reverence for her beauty that he could have prostrated himself before her knees in worship.
Emphasizes the almost religious awe Martial feels.
“Such is woman’s true place, to excite thus the deepest, the best, the most exalted of man’s emotions.”
This is woman's proper role: to inspire the most profound and noble feelings in men.
Reflects the era's gender ideology.
“He said to himself after a time: 'I have seen her, and I do not love her. My follies are over. Her beauty has only caused an aesthetic admiration.'”
He convinced himself that his feelings were purely aesthetic and that he was immune to falling in love.
Martial's self-deception about his emotions.
“The Picture said: 'You can look at me without the least harm to yourself.'”
His mental image of Felise argued that observing her beauty was harmless.
Internal dialogue personifying his temptation.
