In tracing a literary image, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint any single cultural period, let alone any single author, as one which is responsible for transforming the image. The definition of transformation, after all, is a process which leads to the change or alteration of any given figure, person, object, idea, etc. Clearly, the transformation of Lilith was not the sole responsibility or product of the work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Yet, Rossetti obviously worked at a period when Lilith's image was in flux. Moved into the realm of mainstream literature and culture by Goethe and Keats, Lilith was already becoming a figure who held power and independence. By giving Lilith narrative voice, erasing moral judgment, questioning the male gaze, and inviting the reader to break down dichotomous relationships, Rossetti undermined traditional responses to the myth of Lilith, leaving her image open for later feminist interpretations.
Because of Rossetti's work -- even if only because of the popularity of his work and not its quality or actual content -- Lilith has been adopted as a feminist heroine in a variety of mediums today. From Lilith magazine to the "Lilith Fair," her image is being heralded as one of opportunity, voice, and power for women. In almost all cases, Rossetti has been recognized and read by modern critics and interpreters as the first to give her figure voice and opportunity, allowing for such modern positive representations to develop.
This is not to say that Rossetti's work arose out of an empty past, for, without Goethe and Keats' influence, he may never have even known of Lilith's legend. Nor is it to say that once "transformed" by Rossetti, Lilith would eternally remain a feminist figure. There indeed exist examples of post-Rossetti writing and art which portray Lilith in ways that would be considered "negative" by many today.
Nonetheless, Rossetti's influence was widespread. In nearly every modern article that attempts to answer the question "Who Is Lilith?," his art and poetry is pointed to as the answer. Perhaps this is because his works are so much more well known than The Alphabet of Ben Sira or the mystical Zohar. More convincingly, perhaps it is because he so successfully weaved together the individual stories of Lilith and created a tale that told a story more appealing and more open to interpretation than those previous versions. Although Lilith's legend had existed for centuries, Rossetti, in his guise as "mythmaker," established her for all time as the powerful and eternal femme fatale. (Garner 66).
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