Summary
In an exquisite intersection of Neoplatonic idealism and early twentieth-century pictorialism, Purity (1916) unfurls the odyssey of Thornton Darcy, a poet whose metaphysical preoccupation with an allegorical work titled 'Virtue' leads him into a labyrinth of moral ambiguity. Darcy, inhabiting a world of lyrical abstraction, envisions a primordial earth governed by a diaphanous spirit of purity. This cerebral phantom manifests in the corporeal reality of Purity Worth, an ingenue of the woodlands whose existence mirrors the unadorned grace of Darcy’s stanzas. Their burgeoning romance, however, is stifled by the crushing weight of penury; the poet’s magnum opus remains imprisoned in manuscript form, held hostage by the fiscal demands of a cynical publishing industry. The narrative pivot occurs when Purity, driven by an altruism that borders on the hagiographic, enters into a Faustian bargain with the painter Claude Lamarque. By commodifying her own aesthetic form—posing as the very 'Virtue' Darcy idolizes—she surreptitiously finances his literary ascension. The film then descends into a poignant exploration of the 'fallen woman' trope, as the poet’s subsequent success is threatened by the revelation of Purity’s professional exposure. The climax, a visceral confrontation between the idealistic creator and the pragmatic muse, eventually yields to a synthesis of understanding, where the art itself serves as the ultimate arbiter of truth and reconciliation.
Synopsis
Thornton Darcy, an idealistic poet, is at work upon an allegorical poem which he calls "Virtue." He devotes the first part of it to picturing the idyllic state of the earth prior to the advent of evil in which Virtue is the world's guiding spirit. Virtue is represented by a nude female figure, artlessly adorned with filmy drapery. In the second part he introduces the Greek myth of Pandora, who releases Evil on the world. Finishing his work for the day, Darcy falls into a light doze and upon awakening discovers that his dream girl, Virtue, has come to life in the person of a young woman clad in a simple homemade dress kneeling on the bank of the stream gathering flowers. They become acquainted and he learns that her name is Purity Worth, and that she lives near the woods in a humble secluded home. She makes an instant appeal to Darcy as he does to her and they repeat the meeting in the woods, with the result that they fall in love and are engaged, in spite of the fact that there is no immediate prospect of marriage, owing to Darcy'e reduced circumstances. Darcy is unable to sell his poems, and the publisher will not print them for less than five hundred dollars. Claude Lamarque, a painter, strolling in the woods, sees Purity bathing in a stream. He later succeeds in meeting Purity and makes her an offer to pose for him. She refuses, but accepts his card. Purity receives word from Darcy that he is ill in bed and begging her to come with him. His final effort to publish his book of poems has met with refusal. Unselfishly seeking t aid him, she goes to Lamarque, secures five hundred dollars in advance with a promise to repay him by posing for him, and earning money from other artists, and at once turns the money over to the publisher to bring out Darcy's book. She binds the publisher to secrecy. Darcy is confined to his bed with a siege of illness, and is only saved from death by the happy turn. Purity guards from him the secret of her share in it. In the meantime, she poses regularly for Lamarque. Through his interest in her he secures an engagement for her to pose in imitation of marble statuary at a fete given by a fashionable young widow, Judith Lure. No sooner is Darcy's book published than it excites instant attention and praise, and he becomes the lion of the hour. In the meantime, Luston Black, an acquaintance of Lamarque, having caught a glimpse of Purity posing for the artist, has become infatuated with her. He assumes that because of her position as a model he will have an easy conquest. But Purity, despite her innocence, sense his base motives and spurns him. Darcy, accepting an invitation to visit Lamarque, comes into the studio while Black is pressing his attentions upon Purity. He thrashes Black, who taunts the poet with the fact that his fiancée is posing in the nude. Darcy will not believe it. Purity acknowledges the truth. Darcy will not listen to Purity's explanations and casts her off. A short time later the poet sees Lamarque's finished picture of "Virtue." Darcy is quick to read the great truth that the picture is intended to convey and upon learning that Purity was the instrument through which his poems were published, hastens to her. They are happily reunited.
