English

Habeeb Akram

doi:10.5897/ijel2015.0853

Abstract

This study is an attempt to contest the assumption that nineteen century American women poets were sentimental. Accordingly, the main intuition is otherwise; some of these women are highly intellectual and their poetry is not of less vigor and complexity as that of the poetry written by the English metaphysical poets in the second half of seventeenth century England. In order to account for this intuition, the study has tried to delineate the main features of nineteenth century American poetry in order to have them as a yardstick against the wit and the ingenuity of three famous nineteen century American women poets: Emily Dickinson, Helen Jackson and Mary Ritter. To substantiate the study assumption that these poets can aptly be dubbed American metaphysical poets, representative poems for the three writers were analyzed, and it was found out that the poetry of those poets is highly intellectual, both in theme and style. Key words: Poetic tradition, sentimental poetry; intellectual poetry, elliptical syntax, American metaphysical poetry, Emily Dickson, Helen Hunt Jackson, Mary .L Ritter.

Highlights

Except for that of Dickenson‘s, the bulk of poetry written by women in nineteenth century America has always been dismissed as artificial, superficial and sentimental
Nineteenth century American women poets, according to Walker (1982), have the potentiality to reform the poetic traditions and define the role of a female poet; Walker asserts: Nineteenth century women poets reformed the conception of poetry that had previously existed
The metaphysical conceit is a point of departure in the metaphysical poem; it is not as ornamental as is the case in Elizabethan poetry, but rather an essential part whose function is to develop the argument

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Except for that of Dickenson‘s, the bulk of poetry written by women in nineteenth century America has always been dismissed as artificial, superficial and sentimental. Bennett (1998) tries to downplay such an accusation by arguing that sentimentalism does not contradict with subtlety and ingenuity. In the light of these assumptions and the meticulous reading of some of these poems, one tends to agree with Bennett and Walker and embrace the fact that these women are as creative as men, and their poetry does not exhibit less vigor and spirit than the poetry of their contemporary male poets. Some of these women poets are witty and their poetry can be aptly termed metaphysical. In her attempt to demystify the vagueness that has wrapped up metaphysical poetry, Gardner gives a list of some of the characteristics of this poetry, characteristics which are shared among most of the metaphysical poets

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION