On 30/8/05 1:21 AM, "Annie Finch" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Iambic pentameter means the opposite for Audre Lorde than it
> does for Whitman. Form is a feminist force for some women writers and
> not at all for others. But certain forms CAN be a feminist force (or
> the opposite) for certain writers at certain historical times. For me
> personally, formalism is closely connected just now with my being a
> feminist writer. ...
That sparks some connections with the more interesting bits of Germaine
Greer's argument in Slipshod Sibyls, where she speaks of women poets in say
17C England confidently using and subverting the formal devices employed by
male poets - alas, my books have all been rearranged recently and I can't
find this one anywhere to look up who she was talking about. I do know I've
used formal devices myself in ways that seek to subvert their original
context and intent. Yes, extremely contextual, but I can see how it might
be done.
Best
A
Alison Croggon
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
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