Hilda Doolittle popularly known by her pen name H.D was a notable modernist writer. She was well-known for her interest in Greek mythology and hence she penned the poem ‘Eurydice’. H.D gives Eurydice a voice to justify her anger against her husband who was impatient and as a consequence, she could never leave the Underworld. The essay will explore the poem with regard to the relationship between form and content in modernist writing. H.D is known to mix Greek mythology in her writing and this is a common feature in her writing and modernist writing too. Another key feature present in her works is Imagism and this is significant in modernist writing, which will be explained later in the essay.
Orpheus and Eurydice were a famous couple in …show more content…
Ezra Pound wrote to Editor Monroe about H.D’s poems: “This is the sort of… stuff that I can show here…without its being ridiculed. Objective – no slither; direct – no excessive use of adjectives; no metaphors that won’t permit examination. It’s straight talk, straight as the Greek!” (Ayers 2). In the poem, apart from the obvious theme of Greek mythology, H.D uses Eurydice to discuss how women are let down by men, due to their ego: “so for your arrogance / and your ruthlessness / I am swept back” (6-8). The first two lines are repeated again in lines 83 and 84 further asserting on this fact. Elizabeth Dodd supports the example, as she wrote: “…she declares everything she has lost is due to his "arrogance" and "ruthlessness."”
Another point worth mentioning in aspect to the theme is the slight wave of feminism, which roughly commenced around the same time as modernism. The example above supports the statement and the following further emphasises on it: “At least I have the flowers of myself, / and my thoughts, no god / can take that;” (125-127). It is interesting to note that she speaks of a god and not a goddess, implying the male dominance. Eurydice is depicted as neither conformed to mortal nor god, which during the modernist period women did not have many rights, except they belonged to their …show more content…
(56-60)
Here, the stanza goes directly into how everything is black, meaning the Underworld is dark. Black is also known as the colour of mourning, linking to Eurydice mourning. ‘Black’ is the only adjective used, setting the ‘mournful’ tone (lament). Only words contributing to the poem are used. Like the rest of the poem, this stanza does not follow a specific meter.
Moving on to form, modernist writing contains features like hopelessness, fragmentation, and disillusionment much like Eurydice’s feelings in the poem. Another feature of modernist writing is open endings.
As mentioned earlier, the poem is written in dramatic monologue. H.D uses this form to be more effective in expressing Eurydice’s feelings. Modernist poetry is said to be short and fragmented but ‘Eurydice’ is a long poem; although, each of the seven parts consists of less than six stanzas. Fragmentation, end-stops, and enjambment are used to add to the effect of dramatic monologue as well. For instance: such loss is no loss, such terror, such coils and strands and pitfalls of blackness,
such
Orpheus and Eurydice were a famous couple in …show more content…
Ezra Pound wrote to Editor Monroe about H.D’s poems: “This is the sort of… stuff that I can show here…without its being ridiculed. Objective – no slither; direct – no excessive use of adjectives; no metaphors that won’t permit examination. It’s straight talk, straight as the Greek!” (Ayers 2). In the poem, apart from the obvious theme of Greek mythology, H.D uses Eurydice to discuss how women are let down by men, due to their ego: “so for your arrogance / and your ruthlessness / I am swept back” (6-8). The first two lines are repeated again in lines 83 and 84 further asserting on this fact. Elizabeth Dodd supports the example, as she wrote: “…she declares everything she has lost is due to his "arrogance" and "ruthlessness."”
Another point worth mentioning in aspect to the theme is the slight wave of feminism, which roughly commenced around the same time as modernism. The example above supports the statement and the following further emphasises on it: “At least I have the flowers of myself, / and my thoughts, no god / can take that;” (125-127). It is interesting to note that she speaks of a god and not a goddess, implying the male dominance. Eurydice is depicted as neither conformed to mortal nor god, which during the modernist period women did not have many rights, except they belonged to their …show more content…
(56-60)
Here, the stanza goes directly into how everything is black, meaning the Underworld is dark. Black is also known as the colour of mourning, linking to Eurydice mourning. ‘Black’ is the only adjective used, setting the ‘mournful’ tone (lament). Only words contributing to the poem are used. Like the rest of the poem, this stanza does not follow a specific meter.
Moving on to form, modernist writing contains features like hopelessness, fragmentation, and disillusionment much like Eurydice’s feelings in the poem. Another feature of modernist writing is open endings.
As mentioned earlier, the poem is written in dramatic monologue. H.D uses this form to be more effective in expressing Eurydice’s feelings. Modernist poetry is said to be short and fragmented but ‘Eurydice’ is a long poem; although, each of the seven parts consists of less than six stanzas. Fragmentation, end-stops, and enjambment are used to add to the effect of dramatic monologue as well. For instance: such loss is no loss, such terror, such coils and strands and pitfalls of blackness,
such