A Beautiful Theme: The Metaphor of Weaving
Weaving as a metaphor for life has been with us for centuries. The notion that the individual threads make something great and beautiful when seen as a whole and that we are one of those threads is appealing. One of the common themes played on the weaving metaphor is that of tangled threads and how to untangle them so that the pattern is revealed again. Tracy Chevalier’s story about the weaving of the tapestry series The Lady and the Unicorn (in her novel by the same name), takes a different view of the results of threads that go astray from the pattern.
Plot
The plot of novel is straightforward. It follows the arc of the creation for the famous tapestry series The Lady and the Unicorn beginning with the commissioning of the artist Nicolas des Innocents (to create designs for a series of battle tapestries) by Jean Le Viste to the party where they are first revealed and the family celebrates the engagement of their eldest daughter, Claude.
Different characters from the novel narrate the various stages of the creation of the tapestry. What links the characters together is the tapestry and the unicorn. The unicorn is not only the figurative unicorn in the tapestry but also the artist Nicolas Des Innocents who likes to ‘plow’ every girl he meets. His favored method of seduction is to tell a story about the myth of the unicorn.
The tapestry doesn’t turn out at all as planned. The needs and desires of all involved in the creation of the tapestry are woven into it and become as integral to its creation as the threads that the lissiers weave together to make the final work of art.
The randy artist Nicolas Des Innocents complicates the process by seducing various women throughout the story yet it is his love of all that is female and his ability to capture the essence of women in his artwork that results in one of the greatest tapestries in all history. Chevalier deftly weaves the conflicts of desire and society into a story that explores the nature of the creative process and how what is created differs from what the viewer receives.
Life and Art
The threads that are tangled or go astray in this novel are never completely unraveled to create the original design. They subtly change and shift the design so that in the end Nicolas realizes that he “seemed to have got all the Ladies wrong.” (243). Chevalier’s ability to realize that life doesn’t follow the pattern that the individual intends and her ability to see that the result is still beautiful makes her writing fascinating. Chevalier recognizes that even when a masterpiece is created it is not the same for every one. Art is a mystery that each viewer solves differently.
Read It!
Chevalier, Tracy. The Lady and the Unicorn. Penguin Group, USA, 2004. ISBN-0-525-94767-1
More Resources for Chevalier's Novel
- Find Discussion Questions for The Lady and the Unicorn to use with your Reading Group.
- Learn about the major characters in The Lady and the Unicorn.
- Learn about the minor characters in The Lady and the Unicorn.
Melissa Howard - I am a stay-at-home Mom. My college education was in English and History and my last job was as a Technical Writer. Now that I ...
Join the Conversation