Name__________________________
Date_______
English 12
Vocabulary Lesson 5
CONTEXT Literary Figures
The Pre-Raphaelites: Painters and Poets
In the mid-1800s, a small group of artists who called themselves Pre-Raphaelites formed in
England. Since pre- means "before" and the artist Raphael lived from 1483-1520, the term doesn't
make much sense until you learn that the group's aim was to return to an artistic style that
predated Raphael. One of the group's artists, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), was also a poet,
and before long he formed a group of Pre-Raphaelite poets. What was it that these artists admired
in the art styles that were popular three hundred years before they were born?
In the following exercises, you will have the opportunity to expand your vocabulary by reading
about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood of painters and poets. Below are ten vocabulary words that
will be used in these exercises.
amorphous
doggerel
facile
guile
proffer
protégé
sanguine
seraphic
ascetic
decorum
Part l—Directions: Look up each word in the dictionary. Use the meaning to find content clues in
the sentence. Highlight those clues. Then, go to the next section and fill in the words and related
forms.
1. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), and John Everett Millais (1829-1896)
were artists who detested the amorphous style of art of their time. They thought that art should
conform to a definite type and should depict the true form of nature.
2. Dante Rossetti's sister, Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), was an ascetic who lived a life of
simplicity and seclusion. She denied herself marriage for religious reasons. Her poetry is more
devotional than that of the other Pre- Raphaelites.
3. Her good manners and behavior made Christina Rossetti an ideal model for her brother's
paintings. Hw wanted someone with decorum to pose for his painting of the Virgin Mary.
4. Christina Rossetti's poetry is simple but intense, and it is concerned with the relationship
between worldly and spiritual matters. Because it is very well written, it could never be regarded as
doggerel.
5. Dante Rossetti was a facile artist and poet who moved easily and skillfully from one art form to
another. He is highly respected in both fields.
6. The Pre-Raphaelites wanted their works to be honest, totally lacking guile. They disliked the drab
colors of the old masters' paintings and used bright, natural pigments and the simplicity of early
Italian paintings in their works.
7. When the Pre-Raphaelifes first proffered their works to the public in 1850, they were rejected.
Two years later, when the artists offered their paintings to the Royal Academy, the public and critics
alike praised their works.
8. The influential artist Holman Hunt, whose works had been exhibited at the Royal Academy in
London, helped and encouraged Dante Rossetti while Rossetti painted The Girlhood of Mary Virgin.
Rossetti, who was at this time Hunt's protégé, was painstakingly faithful to the style of the PreRaphaelites.
9. Pre-Raphaelite paintings are filled with color and natural simplicity, and they often include
robust people who seem happy. These sanguine subjects were a change from the dark, somber
figures in other art of the day.
10. Christ in the House of His Parents. by Millais, shows Jesus as a healthy, normal boy, not as a
seraphic figure in the clouds with other angelic creatures.
Part 2--Directions: Write the word which fits each meaning. In the space below the definition. write
related forms of the word, along with the part of speech.
1. _____________________________
n. craftiness; deceit; cunning
Forms:
Synonym:
2. _____________________________ v. to offer; n. an offer
Forms:
Synonym:
3. _____________________________ adj. angelic; of the highest order of angels
Forms:
Synonym:
4. _____________________________
adj. shapeless; of no particular form or type; not organized
Forms:
Synonym:
5. _____________________________
n. proper action, speech, and dress; good manners and behavior; polite behavior
Forms:
Synonym:
6. _____________________________
n. someone whose welfare or career is promoted by an influential person
Forms:
Synonym:
7. _____________________________ adj. naturally cheerful and hopeful; confident; having a ruddy
complexion; optimistic; hopeful
Forms:
Synonym:
8. _____________________________ n. badly written or trivial verse, often with a singsong rhythm
Forms:
Synonym:
9. _____________________________ n. a person who practices unusual self-denial or discipline, often
for religious reasons; adj. self-denying
Forms:
Synonym:
10. _____________________________ adj. easily done; performing or working with ease; adroit; not
sincere or profound~ superficial
Forms:
Synonym:
Part 3--Fill in with the correct list word (or form of the word).
1. Eventually, the openness and the lack of _____________________________ of Pre-Raphaelite art
attracted more people to the movement.
2. But other schools of art, such as Impressionism, were also attracting followers, so the PreRaphaelites had few _____________________________ . Young artists did not seek out their influence.
3. Many Pre-Raphaelites were criticized for their sensual subject matter. The public expected them
to be _____________________________as artists and felt that neither their art nor their lives reflected
an attitude of discipline and self-denial.
4. The painters were condemned for their informal lifestyles and what the public considered a lack
of _____________________________in their actions, speech, and dress.
5. They were certainly not _____________________________, but they did not deserve to have their
works condemned because of their personal lives.
6. Because the Pre-Raphaelites believed strongly in portraying realistic detail, their works were
never _____________________________.
7. After their works were criticized by the public, the Pre-Raphaelites were not very
_____________________________about their art. Fortunately, they never lost hope or confidence.
8. The accomplished poets of the group included the Rossettis, George Meredith (1828-1909),
William Morris (1834-1896), and Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909). These writers may have
addressed unconventional subjects, but their works were intelligent and well-crafted, far from
_____________________________.
9. Their works were _____________________________to the public in various volumes. Pre-Raphaelite
poets, except for Christina Rossetti, offered overtly romantic verse.
10. George Meredith was a _____________________________, adroit writer who wrote novels as well as
refreshing poetry.
Exercise 4--Directions: Choose the word or words which complete the sentence. Highlight the
correct response.
1. Many people enjoy reading_____because it takes little thought to read light, singsong verse.
(A) decorum
(B) guile
(C) doggerel
(D) ascetic
(E) seraphs
2 . _____people probably avoid sad, mournful poetry and prefer poetry about hopeful, cheerful
characters and events.
(A)Seraphic
(B)Ascetic
(C)Facile
(D)Sanguine
(E)Amorphous
3. Styles in art are constantly changing. Some modem art has moved so far from realism that it is
_____ without definite shape or form.
(A) decorous
(B) facile
(C) sanguine
(D) seraphic
(E) amorphous
4. Different. people appreciate different kinds of art. Some prefer earthy, natural paintings, others
like rather frilly _____ scenes of floating cherubs, while still others enjoy modem abstract works.
(A) sanguine
(B) seraphic
(C) ascetic
(D) preferred
(E) amorphous
5. People with _____ know how to behave in art galleries. They speak quietly and don't touch any of
the art works.
(A) guile
(D) ascetics
(B) decorum
(C) protégés
(E) doggerel
6. It is a mark of _____to know what kind of poetry a friend might enjoy. it would be impolite to
_____ an unsuitable kind of poety.
(A) decorum... proffer
(B) doggerel…blazon
(C) guile... admonish
(D) amorphousness .. . proffer
(E) protégé …lampoon
7. Writers can lose faith in their work and believe it is _____, not profound. Eventually, however,
most determined writers regain their confidence and feel_____again.
(A) guileful...seraphic
(B) ascetic. ..amorphous
(C) sanguine ... guileful
(D) facile ... sanguine
(E) amorphous... ascetic
8. Because many artists and poets are poor, they live _____lives. The lack of clutter and distractions
enables them to be more _____workers, able to exercise their talents easily. .
(A) sanguine ... amorphous
(B) ascetic... facile
(C) facile...seraphic
(D) seraphic. . . ascetic
(E) amorphous ... guileful
9. Writers and poets are often _____ of influential people who help and support them until their
_____works are accepted.
(A) ascetics ...sanguine
(B) seraphs... ascetic
(C) protégés... proffered
(D) protégés ...guileful
(E) doggerel ...seraphic
10. Although the Pre-Raphaelite movement lasted only a few years, its open, natural style--its lack
of _____and its optimistic, _____outlook strikes a happy note in the history of art.
(A) decorum...guileful
(B) doggerel.. . amorphous
(C) guile ... sanguine
(D) ascetics. . . seraphic
(E) protégés ... guileful
Exercise 5. Create ten sentences, each sentence containing a vocabulary word. Each sentence is
worth three points: one for spelling, one for the appropriate part of speech, and one for sufficient
context clues. Be careful not to create run-on sentences!