- This chapter is one long excerpt from Christabel LaMotte's epic poem The Fairy Melusine.
- We start with the proem—that is, the "introduction" to the poem—and then head into the first part of the book itself.
- As we read, we get a taste of LaMotte's undeniable talent and intelligence as she muses on the nature of the fairy Melusina, and on a number of other female figures from myth and legend who are often represented as monsters.
- Like Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey, we readers can now read the poem in light of LaMotte's love affair—and her trip to North Yorkshire—with Randolph Henry Ash. Like them, we can ask:
- What aspects of this poem reflect the languages and landscapes of North Yorkshire?
- How much of Melusina's first meeting with the knight Raimondin reflects Christabel's love affair with Randolph?