Victorian readings and art discussions set March 22-23

The Lewes Public Library’s Spoken Word Society will present live readings and discussions of related artistic works for two classic Victorian tales, “The Lady of Shalott” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” at the library, 111 Adams Ave. in Lewes.

Lord Alfred Tennyson’s 1842 poem, “The Lady of Shalott,” tells the story of a woman trapped within a tower who falls victim to lust and its consequences. LSWS members will perform the poem at 5 p.m., Saturday, March 22, and afterward, Kristen Matulewicz, curator of Rockwood Park and Museum in Wilmington, will speak. She will discuss how painter John William Waterhouse navigated the Lady’s transformations across his three famous works, crafting a character that is both emotionally believable and symbolic.

Matulewicz will present “The Yellow Wallpaper: Fantasy and Reality,” a discussion of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s gothic horror story, at 5 p.m., Sunday, March 23. She will contrast Gilman’s embellished lived experience with the highly popular, romanticized image of feminine frailty and madness. The discussion will be followed by a reading of the piece by members of the LSWS Reader's Theatre Troupe.

Seating is limited, and registration is required at lewes.lib.de.us.

“The mystical tragedy of Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shalott’ and the stunning, visceral gut punch of a descent into madness in Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ present a potent insight into the changing approach to women and women’s issues seen in Victorian literature,” said David White, Lewes Public Library Spoken Word Society volunteer artistic director. “Powerful readings of the pieces by our Reader’s Theatre Troupe and compelling lectures on the paintings they inspired by a leading expert in Victorian art will make for a remarkable experience for our audiences.”