The Rudeness and Reverence of Geoffrey Hill’s Mariology

Abstract

Abstract Due to his seemingly reactionary politics and theology, the recently deceased English lyricist Geoffrey Hill has courted controversy throughout his life. However, while Hill’s work is replete with qualified nostalgia for premodern British history, and he does treat a number of Christian themes in his work, the great British poet defies easy categorisation. Moreover, drawing from the theology of Simone Weil, Rowan Williams, and others, Hill’s work is saturated with a profound awareness of the fallen state of human nature. One of the most profound tropes Hill uses as a representative of what could be called Original Sin is the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a tormented believer and a poet very aware of the fallenness of the world, Hill’s depiction of Mary reveals that Hill is a Christian poet who does not fall into ready categories.