The Gentleman Of Shalott Poem Analysis

Detached Viewpoint: The Representation of Men in Elizabeth Bishop’s Poetry Every time a writer is called a “writer’s writer,” there is a certain sense of undervaluation by the readers, as if only fellow writers could truly appreciate the author’s art. Not only was Elizabeth Bishop often described as a “poet’s poet,” but John Ashbery in his review of Bishop’s Collected Poems even called her a “writer’s writer’s writer.” And yet she managed to rivet the attention of the broader audience, as well as of other writers and various critics. Even though she was a lesbian and described herself as a “strong feminist,” Bishop opposed the idea of feminist principles in literature, refused being included in women’s anthologies and objected to being …show more content…
“The Gentleman of Shalott” serves as an eloquent example of said derision. The poem is an ironic reaction to “The Lady of Shalott,” a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, known for its anti-feminist tendencies and patriarchal conventions. Contrarily to Tennyson, Bishop in her poem ridicules male self-absorption and vanity. The male speaker of the poem struggles with the confusion about his perception of his own reflection in a mirror and puzzled about “which side’s in or out / of the mirror,” he is unable to differentiate the mirror image from himself and fears that “if half his head’s reflected, / thought, he thinks, might be affected.” Even though the gentleman is in control of his actions and capable of making choices, he is still reliant on the reflection, trapped within his narcissistic world. Therefore while the poem seems to be written in a light tone, Bishop’s irony, however, is embedded in a serious …show more content…
With a great thoroughness devoted to the perfection of structural elements precisely mirroring specific meaning, Bishop efficiently transforms her ideas into poems unaffectedly transmitting serious thoughts and emotions. Her approach to men in her poetry varies from that of respectful recognition to that of ironical caricature. The first archetypical depiction is a figure of a man advanced in both age and awareness symbolizing a connection between two distinctive worlds. Bishop’s second way of portraying men is through Biblical symbolism, though her attention is drawn more to the picturing of human weakness than to the religious aspect. That is followed thirdly by ironic mocking of male narcissism slightly tinged with an uncertainty in determining the man’s self-identity, and lastly by a male protagonist in a narrative poem, whose intellect is not particularly cunning. Bishop’s constant endeavour to be recognized as an objective, not a feminist, poet, even made her oppose her lifelong friend, an American poet Robert Lowell, who praised her as one of four women comparable to the best male poets of that time, saying: “I’d rather be called ‘the sixteenth poet’ with no reference to my sex, than one of four women.” Such attitude indubitably corresponds with Bishop’s denial of her