In performing annotations for both image and text there were a number of things that I found particularly engaging both within the text and the context of “The Lady of Shalott”. Firstly, I will say that I found the text itself to be incredibly engaging. This is the first poem that we have studied in this course and I found the medium to be one that I particularly enjoyed. The way in which Tennyson was able to weave together a narrative while retaining the flow of his poetry was impressive. With regard to the content itself I particularly enjoyed the references to Arthurian legend that were made throughout the text. The comparisons between the idealized Camelot and Victorian era england are something that I find interesting if not mildly controversial. Furthermore I found that the poetry format really lent itself well to the creation of illustration as the language used throughout was incredibly dense both symbolically and thematically. With regard to images I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the illustrations presented this week. The level of detail and symbolic meaning present in each image was incredible. I was also surprised to learn how much of the work was left in the hands of the artist, each one interpreting the text in their own way and projecting their own meaning onto it. Overall I’m excited to explore more of this style literature from the Victorian era.

Simon Mancuso