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The Dynamics of Poetics and Forgiveness in Adelaide Procter's ‘Homeless’
Author(s) -
Larsen Hoeckley Cheri Lin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
literature compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.158
H-Index - 4
ISSN - 1741-4113
DOI - 10.1111/lic3.12129
Subject(s) - poetics , forgiveness , dynamics (music) , sociology , poetry , equity (law) , human sexuality , psychology , psychoanalysis , social psychology , literature , gender studies , art , law , political science , pedagogy
Adelaide Procter's “Homeless” can be read as a case study in the dynamics of poetics and forgiveness, taking into account the poem's various Victorian contexts and formal practices. Procter seems to see forgiveness as a dynamic process, shifting for different readers. While Procter writes in a theological framework, using the sentimental Catholic figure of the rosary, she also engages with arguments that some might consider “secular”, such as female employment and sexual double standards. With sentimental and religious poetics, then, Procter enters Victorian discussions as controversial as those of female sexuality and economic practice to challenge accepted Victorian notions of sin, forgiveness, and social equity.