English 015 - Americans Abroad
The Colosseum in "Daisy Miller" and "Roman Fever"
The Colosseum in "Daisy Miller" and "Roman Fever"
Category: 02B: Roman Fever | Diana Heald
In both “Daisy Miller” and “Roman Fever,” the Colosseum looms in the horizon, literally and figuratively. Although the dangers in the two stories are different, for both Daisy and Mrs. Ansley the Roman ruins serve as an illicit meeting place and as an escape from the constraints of American expatriate society. The ruins exert their power over everyone, including the generally frigid and unemotional Winterbourne. James writes, “When… he approached the dusky circle of the Colosseum the sense of the romantic in him… suggested that the interior….would well repay a glance.” (p. 73) Winterbourne feels drawn to its ancient splendor, as do Daisy and Giovanelli, who he encounters inside. A generation later, the future Mrs. Ansley meets Mrs. Slade’s husband at the Colosseum, and even later, when her lover is already dead, it still draws her, “its golden flank…drowned in purple shadow, and above it the sky curved crystal clear.” (p. 756) While love is in the air within the Colosseum’s walls, the element of danger is there as well. Winterbourne, thinking about Daisy, is concerned about “the frail young creature’s lounging away such hours in a nest of malaria.” (p. 75) Mrs. Slade remarks to Mrs. Ansley, “The sun’s set. You’re not afraid, my dear… [o]f Roman fever or pneumonia? I remember how ill you were that winter…” (p. 756) The dangers of infection and of being discovered are great in both stories, yet lovers still flock to the Colosseum, showing the lengths to which they are willing to go to find happiness outside of their restrictive society.
Posted by on September 22, 2003 at 07:53 PM