![]() Effie suggested that Ruskin was not a kind husband and, as a result, Rose did not end up marrying him. Meanwhile, Rose’s parents were concerned about the union and wrote to Effie, asking her advice. He proposed marriage when Rose was 18, but she wanted to wait until she was 21 to decide. The girl was Rose La Touche, and Ruskin, though 38, began to grow very fond of her. ![]() We think the issue goes deeper.Īnother clue comes later in Ruskin’s life, when he was asked to tutor the 10-year-old daughter of a poet friend. Other biographers have suggested that it was her body odor that repulsed Ruskin. More: Fifty Shades cuts controversial tampon scene - read the excerpt now The fact that the marriage lasted six years without sex means that it had to be more than that. ![]() OK, but even if Effie was having her period on her wedding night, it would be over in a week or so. We suppose it’s possible, but to our knowledge, a little pubic hair never stopped a man from consummating his marriage before.Īnother biographer, Peter Fuller, wrote, “It has been said that was frightened on the wedding night by the sight of his wife’s pubic hair more probably, he was perturbed by her menstrual blood.” Others, like Ruskin’s biographer Mary Lutyens, thought that since Ruskin’s only interaction with the female form came from studying smooth, white, Greek statues, that seeing her pubic hair would have been a shock to him. However, there are no known sexual liaisons or romantic letters linking Ruskin to other men. Of course, this was a time where gay marriage wasn’t an option and being a homosexual was not accepted for a wealthy gentleman. Not only was Ruskin not attracted to Effie, it seems he was repulsed by her. On the contrary, there were certain circumstances in her person which completely checked it.” But though her face was beautiful, her person was not formed to excite passion. In a statement to his lawyer, Ruskin admitted, “It may be thought strange that I could abstain from a woman who to most people was so attractive. “ alleged various reasons, hatred of children, religious motives, a desire to preserve my beauty, and finally this last year he told me his true reason… that he had imagined women were quite different to what he saw I was, and that the reason he did not make me his wife was because he was disgusted with my person the first evening 10th April.” Some clues emerge when we take a look at a letter Effie wrote to her father, where she explains what Ruskin told her was the reason he would not have sex with her. So, why would a man like Ruskin, who was so fond of Effie when she was young, not want to have a sexual relationship with her when she became his wife? This question has become the subject of much speculation over the last 150 years, inspiring numerous writings, plays and movies. ![]() Effie was able to obtain an annulment on the grounds of impotence and left the marriage still a virgin. Six lonely years passed for Effie, with no marital consummation. ![]() In real life and in the film, Effie presented herself naked to her husband on their wedding night, but he refused her - an act that would certainly upset any doting bride. Effie was 19 when she and Ruskin were married. ![]()
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