Beauty and the Beast
Beauty has always been desired by humans. Our views of beauty have come to encompass not only physical beauty or beauty of nature, but inner beauty and auditory beauty as well. In Book III of The Faerie Queene, Britomart is often set against those who do not share her inner beauty, and the contrast only elevates her in the readers eyes. The feat of walking through the flames of Busirane is not as impressive if she’s the only one who tries it. When Scudamore fails because of his inadequacies, her accomplishment is elevated, and we see how impressive it really is. If all you see is beauty, then it is not beautiful. It is average. It is only when we catch a glimpse of beauty illuminated against dirt that we can truly appreciate it. Contrast is key. The Faerie Queene has a lot of it. Britomart only has to look a direction, and someone runs by who falls morally beneath her.
We never see a portrayal of Britomart’s physical beauty, and it only serves to further show her inner beauty. And since most of what Britomart sees is physically beautiful, like the tapestries, she is guilty by association.
I once read that Ronald Dahl’s father took his wife around to many beautiful places when she was pregnant with their children, because he felt that her seeing beauty would make their children appreciate it more. Both Dahl and his brother were quite successful, and whether or not it was because of the beauty experiment is not the point. Beauty is something we hope to pass onto our children. Beauty one of the things we consider most important.
Daddo, Belle of the Ball.
I don’t have a context or frame of reference for Ronald Dahl. There is a somewhat prolific writer Roald Dahl who died in 1990. However, I think I take your point as it relates to the inspiration sources.
As it relates to Britomart, she does create a high hurdle for goodness and chastity.