Love's Last Gift Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 1871
abbaabbacddcee iambic sonnet
<artist/> <location/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnpictorial> <citnmythic> <name/> <culture/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnmythic> <citnhistorical> <event/> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnhistorical> <citnautobiographical> <name/> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnautobiographical> <citnscenic> <place/> <date/> <bibl/> <note/> </citnscenic> </listcitn> </source> <commentaries> <head>Commentary</head> <section type="intro"> <head>Introduction</head> <p>The sonnet's basic argument is that Love's last gift to the poet is “this laurel”, which here—given the function of the sonnet's flower images—can only mean this sonnet or this sonnet sequence DGR is writing. DGR is proposing a special variant of “art for art's sake”. The variant would shortly be named “the religion of beauty” precisely because of the influence of DGR's quasi-religious treatment of the idea of art for art's sake—so different, for example, from Swinburne's distinctively humanist treatment.</p> </section> <section type="texthistcomp"> <head>Textual History: Composition</head> <p>Acording to WMR, the sonnet was composed in 1871. There is an early <xref doc="a.28-1871.delms.rad">fair copy</xref> in the Bancroft collection, the earliest version of the sonnet known to exist. This text is revised in the corrected copy gathered in the Fitzwilliam composite <xref doc="a.44-1869.fizms.rad" workcode="28-1871" from="68"> <title level="wrk">“House of Life” sequence. Another fair copy is gathered in the Troxell composite “House of Life” sequence.

Textual History: Revision

As late as 19 May 1881 DGR was uncertain about where to place this sonnet in the sequence, as his letter to Watts-Dunton of that day shows. He was still considering that the end of Part I should be the “True Woman” triptych, with this sonnet to precede the latter.

Production History

Reception

Iconographic

Printing History

First published in the 1881 <hi rend="i">Ballads and Sonnets</hi> and collected thereafter. A typographical error in line 14 was first corrected in the fourth edition of the 1881 volume.

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

WMR, <hi rend="i">DGR Designer and Writer</hi> , 224 Baum, ed., <hi rend="i">House of Life</hi> , 153-154

1881 <hi rend="i">Ballads and Sonnets</hi> first edition text The typographical error “suug” remained in the first three 1881 “editions” of DGR's 1881 volume; it was corrected in the 1882 fourth edition and thereafter. The correction had actually been made, but overlooked, in a proof for the first edition. 1881 <hi rend="i">Ballads and Sonnets</hi> fourth edition text The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, vol. 1 (1886) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1886 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), first edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 October 17 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), second edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1882), fourth edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1882 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), (author's proofs, British Library copy) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 April-June 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature P (Delaware Museum, 4 May author's proof, copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 4 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature P (Delaware Museum, 4 May author's proof, copy 2) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 4 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature P (Delaware Museum, 6 May proof, copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 6 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature P (Delaware Museum, 6 May proof, copy 2) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 6 0 Ballads and Sonnets (1881), proof Signature P (Delaware Museum, 9 May proof, copy 1) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1881 May 9 0 The House of Life, A Sonnet Sequence (composite manuscript posthumously arranged, Princeton/Troxell collection) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1869-1881 0 Love's Last Gift (Delaware early fair copy) DGR 1871 0 The House of Life (composite manuscript posthumously arranged, Fitzwilliam Museum) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1845 - 1881 0 The House of Life (composite manuscript posthumously arranged, Fitzwilliam Museum) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1845 - 1881 0 The Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1911) Dante Gabriel Rossetti William Michael Rossetti 1911 0