Nice video, and a geeat collection of Millais' paintings. However, I am disappointed that the tired old story of Effie's allegedly disgusting pubic hair is repeated without even a question mark! There isn't a scrap of evidence that Ruskin wasn't aware of the fact that real life women have pubic hair! And even if he really didn't know this little anatomic detail, it's highly unlikely that Effie's pubic hair was the true reason why Ruskin never had sex with her. I am sure that a simple tool like a razor could've easily dealt with this problem 😉 And neither Ruskin nor Effie said anything which could have corroborated this story. When Effie said that Ruskin was disgusted with her person, he was most likely talking about her personality and not about her body. There are actually a few of Ruskin's early letters to his wife which prove that he initially found her naked body very attractive, and the couple slept for years in the same bed. It's far more likely that Ruskin had discovered shortly before the wedding that his wife hadn't married him for love but because of his family's considerable wealth! Effie's father faced bankruptcy at the time, and her family might've talked her into accepting Ruskin's marriage proposal. She had actually said "no" to his first proposal. Ruskin might've hoped that he and Effie would eventually learn to love each other, but it never happened. And it's also very likely that Ruskin was more or less asexual. This would explain why even sharing a bed regularly never led to intercourse. We will never know exactly what was going on in Ruskin's head. But we have to take everything which was said by Effie or Ruskin near the end of their marriage with a grain of salt. Both of them wanted out of this disastrous marriage, and it was important for them to supply valid reasons for a legal annulment. If John had said that he simply didn't like his wife's character, and therefore he decided not to have sex and start a family with Effie, this would not have been good enough, because at the time only incurable impotence was accepted as a valid reason for an annulment.
Thank you for taking the trouble to comment so expansively. I wouldn't disagree with anything you say. You make some telling points and yes, the pubic hair issue is tiresome and implausible but it colours the narrative for those unfamiliar with the Pre-Raphaelites.
@@NigelHumphreysonzoom, thanks for answering - and I can understand why you included the story, because it's ludicrous but somehow compelling 😀 It's so hard to guess what was really going on in John Ruskin's head!! But I really like Millais, and therefore I enjoyed your Video!
What a wonderful channel I have just discovered !!!
So happy.
That's very kind of you to say so.
Thank you for this video! I'm writing a paper on Millais' "Chill October" and his other landscapes. This was very insightful and helpful!
good luck wit your paper and thanks for your comment
Quite enjoyable.
Glad you enjoyed Millais
Nice video, and a geeat collection of Millais' paintings. However, I am disappointed that the tired old story of Effie's allegedly disgusting pubic hair is repeated without even a question mark! There isn't a scrap of evidence that Ruskin wasn't aware of the fact that real life women have pubic hair! And even if he really didn't know this little anatomic detail, it's highly unlikely that Effie's pubic hair was the true reason why Ruskin never had sex with her. I am sure that a simple tool like a razor could've easily dealt with this problem 😉 And neither Ruskin nor Effie said anything which could have corroborated this story. When Effie said that Ruskin was disgusted with her person, he was most likely talking about her personality and not about her body. There are actually a few of Ruskin's early letters to his wife which prove that he initially found her naked body very attractive, and the couple slept for years in the same bed. It's far more likely that Ruskin had discovered shortly before the wedding that his wife hadn't married him for love but because of his family's considerable wealth! Effie's father faced bankruptcy at the time, and her family might've talked her into accepting Ruskin's marriage proposal. She had actually said "no" to his first proposal. Ruskin might've hoped that he and Effie would eventually learn to love each other, but it never happened. And it's also very likely that Ruskin was more or less asexual. This would explain why even sharing a bed regularly never led to intercourse.
We will never know exactly what was going on in Ruskin's head. But we have to take everything which was said by Effie or Ruskin near the end of their marriage with a grain of salt. Both of them wanted out of this disastrous marriage, and it was important for them to supply valid reasons for a legal annulment. If John had said that he simply didn't like his wife's character, and therefore he decided not to have sex and start a family with Effie, this would not have been good enough, because at the time only incurable impotence was accepted as a valid reason for an annulment.
Thank you for taking the trouble to comment so expansively. I wouldn't disagree with anything you say. You make some telling points and yes, the pubic hair issue is tiresome and implausible but it colours the narrative for those unfamiliar with the Pre-Raphaelites.
@@NigelHumphreysonzoom, thanks for answering - and I can understand why you included the story, because it's ludicrous but somehow compelling 😀 It's so hard to guess what was really going on in John Ruskin's head!!
But I really like Millais, and therefore I enjoyed your Video!