Open Access“ELUSIVE AS AN ELEGY, DARING AS DUSK”: PENELOPE SHUTTLE’S “MISSING YOU” AS CONTEMPORARY POETRY OF MOURNING
Author(s) -
Бојана Вујин
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
godišnjak filozofskog fakulteta u novom sadu/godišnjak filozofskog fakulteta u novom sadu
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2334-7236
pISSN - 0374-0730
DOI - 10.19090/gff.2018.1.127-139
Subject(s) - elegy , poetry , irony , literature , humanity , grief , art , wife , theme (computing) , expression (computer science) , philosophy , psychology , theology , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language , operating system
Due to humanity’s proclivity to mourn their dead, it is only natural that poetry of grief, such as elegy, proved to be one of the most resilient modes of poetic expression. During its long history, elegy has undergone numerous modifications, reflecting changes in both society and poetry. As it is more and more difficult to find solace either in nature or religion, contemporary elegists struggle with the expression of grief, often turning to irony or humour. Gender, too, plays an important role in the construction of mourning poetry, with the masculine elegy focusing on poetic competition and emotional substitution, and the feminine elegy relying upon connection and the process of recuperation instead. The paper analyses “Missing You”, a long poem from Penelope Shuttle’s collection Redgrove’s Wife (2006), investigating its status as a contemporary feminine elegy.