




1. Does the symmetry of the dress and posture derive more from an aesthetic choice, or does it contribute to the story or concept of the painting?

2. Do the attire and accessories of the women and the landscape through which they are traveling give the viewer any clues as to the occasion of the trip (from where they are coming and to where they are going)?

3. Small details defy symmetry here — the hats, for instance, face the same way instead of facing each other, and one woman wear's gloves while the other's hands are bear. Do these choices exist in order to give the two characters a greater sense of personality/individualism, or are they merely supposed to tamper, on a visual level, with the image's broader quality of symmetry?

4. Though neither woman looks out the window, the shades and drapes are visibly drawn, leaving the outside view in plain sight. Although the reader may benefit from the light, what do we do with the dreamer's window being left uncovered? Does this suggest each woman's conscious intention, or is it an arbitrary point?

5. In what ways do the composition and the subject of this painting recall Pre-Raphaelite works we have examined already?

Victorian Web Homepage Visual Arts Augustus Leopold Egg Discussion Questions

Last modified 11 February 2009