Sexual Serpents: Ruskin’s The Queen of the Air

Abstract

Examines the treatment given the goddess Athena by Ruskin in The Queen of the Air. Argues that Ruskin’s depiction of Athena is a very personal one that enables the reader to see into Ruskin’s dreams and nightmares, and ultimately into his views on gender issues, especially in his relations with Effie Gray and Rose La Touche.