<\/p>\n
\u201cIn those troublesome dreams\u2026\u201d (Braddon 244)<\/p>\n
This strangely allegorical dream cements Robert\u2019s belief in both the righteousness of his cause and its otherworldly issue. Robert\u2019s \u201ctroublesome dreams\u201d are surprisingly supernatural breaks in a sensational but otherwise worldly novel (244). Although spirits and monsters have been invoked before, they have been the object of ridicule \u2013 typically by Robert himself. Now that he is stricken by the same sentiments, Robert does not blame indigestion or behave like \u201csome ghost-haunted hero in a German story\u201d (260). Robert instead acts as a biblical Judge called upon by \u201csome hand greater than [his] own\u201d to mete out godly justice. Much like the reluctant prophet Jonah, Robert is reminded of a (in his mind) divine quest whenever he attempts a return to his once mundane life. Robert was not swallowed by a great fish, but instead forced to answer to \u2013 or else compete with \u2013 the enigmatic Clara in his search for the truth of George\u2019s fate. In addition to strengthening his promise to Clara, the dreams also provide valuable insight into Robert\u2019s unexpressed thoughts. He sees \u201cAudley Court, rooted up.. standing bare and unprotected\u2026 threatened by the\u2026 boisterous sea\u201d as if it were a boat and Lady Audley as a \u201cmermaid, beckoning his uncle to destruction\u201d like a tempting siren (244). Robert sees it as his duty to steer his uncle\u2019s estate away from the perilous rocks at the expense of Lord Michael\u2019s dignity like Odysseus being bound to a mast. Robert is a dutiful nephew, but his actions are not entirely selfless. As heir apparent, Robert has a clear interest in steering his uncle\u2019s estate and the Audley reputation away from the shores of peril. Lady Audley\u2019s connection to the ocean goes far beyond her childhood home, in Robert\u2019s dream she becomes the primordial darkness of the ocean with her \u201cpale face and starry\u2026\u201d sea-green eyes surrounded by looking out from the sea\u2019s \u201csilvery foam\u201d as light and lustrous as her curls (244). This comparison is part of the lasting tradition of giving feminine character to ocean storms: long periods of calm equilibrium interrupted by punctuations of brief but intense violence. The \u201cdismal horizon\u201d of the dream storm is defeated by a single \u201cray of light\u201d parting the troubled sea (244). This biblical conclusion and the contrast of white light and dark sea reinforce Robert\u2019s image of Clara as a seraphic beauty in complete opposition to Lady Audley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIn those troublesome dreams\u2026\u201d (Braddon 244) This strangely allegorical dream cements Robert\u2019s belief in both the righteousness of his cause and its otherworldly issue. Robert\u2019s \u201ctroublesome dreams\u201d are surprisingly supernatural breaks in a sensational but otherwise worldly novel (244). Although spirits and monsters have been invoked before, they have been the object of ridicule … Continue reading Robert and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-Court<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4683,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169398],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2021-blog-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4683"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1736\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/secretlives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}