LPPM MMV "Rachel"

[Dave Monroe]

"He would stand, therefore, out in some street, not
moving, thinking about Rachel who was 4'10" in her
stocking feet, whose neck was pale and sleek, a
Modigliani neck, whose eyes were not mirror images but
both slanted the same way, dark brown almost to
fathomless ...." (MMV, p. 1)


Rachel

Rachel ("a ewe"), daughter of Laban and younger sister
of Lia. The journey of Jacob to the "east country"
(Mesopotamia) in quest of a bride of his own kin, and
his providential meeting with Rachel at the well in
the open country followed by his introduction into the
household of Laban are told with idyllic charm in the
twenty-ninth chapter of Genesis. Jacob, being in love
with Rachel, agreed to serve her father for her seven
years. Laban accepted the proposal, and the seven
years seemed to Jacob "but a few days, because of the
greatness of his love". He was deceived, however, by
Laban, who at the end of the term of service gave him
to wife, not Rachel, who "was well favoured, and of a
beautiful countenance", but her elder sister Lia, who
was "blear-eyed", and Jacob received the younger
daughter to wife only on condition of serving seven
years more. Rachel, being for a time without offspring
and envious of her sister, to whom four children were
born, gave to Jacob as a secondary wife her handmaid
Bala, whose issue, according to a custom of the times,
would be reckoned as her own. From this union were
born Dan and Nephtali. In the quarrel which arose
between Jacob and Laban, Rachel as well as Lia sided
with the former, and when departing from her father's
home she carried away with her the teraphim or
household gods, believing in their protecting
influence over herself and her husband (Gen., xxxi,
19). Among the sons of Rachel after the "Lord
remembered" her were Joseph and Benjamin, in giving
birth to the latter of whom Rachel died. At the point
of death "she called the name of her son Benomi, that
is, The son of my pain: but his father called him
Benjamin, that is, the Son of the right hand". Rachel
was buried "in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata,
this is Bethlehem. And Jacob erected a pillar over her
sepulchre: this is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to
this day" (Gen., xxxv, 18-20). The exact location of
the grave of Rachel is a disputed point....

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12630a.htm


"a Modigliani neck"

Modigliani was a young man of fey beauty, and his work
has a wonderful slow elegance that is unusual, but
compelling. Through the influence of the Rumanian
sculptor Constantin Brancusi, he fell under the spell
of primitive sculpture, especially from Africa. He
went on to develop a sophisticated, mannered style
built upon graceful, decorative arabesques and
simplified forms. It is hard for us to imagine why it
did not attract patrons. He is famous now for his
elegant, elongated nudes, but it is portraits that are
the most extraordinary. 

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/modigliani/

And see as well, esp. ...

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/modigliani.html


"both slanted the same way"

E.g., ...

http://mondodomani.org/filosofiatorvergata/modigliani.jpg

And cf., elsewhere, of Rachel Owlglass ...

"She had her head down, studying the application in
her hand. She looked up, he saw the eyes, both slanted
the same way." (V., p. 216/228)

"... he could see nothing but a new extemporized
daydream in which no other face but this sad one with
its brimming slash-slash of eyes tightened slowly in
his own shadow, pale under him." (V., p. 217/229)


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail