28 - To My Excellent Lucasia Flashcards
intro
This poem is by Katherine Philips, in her day considered one of the leading women poets of the second half of the seventeenth century. There were, in fact, very few women poets, and it is only through the initiative of Sir Charles Cotterell, an official of Charles II, that a collection of her poems was printed in 1667. Though the poem declares itself to be about same sex friendship, the language used is very much that of love poetry. Indeed, without the title, it would be unclear as to whether the poem were dealing with a friendship or traditionally female/male sexual relationship. We need to realise that in the mid-century, there was a growing interest inPlatonic love and friendship, both between and within the sexes. Partly this was because so many marriages, especially upper-class marriages, were arranged, often for economic reasons. It is interesting to see how whilst the speaker seeks to assert her platonic love for Lucasia, she is unsuccessful in completely removing the body from the equation. Whilst this may be a reflection of the influence of male-dominated lexicon, it could alternatively be deemed as possessing Sapphic undertones.
I did not live until this time
Crowned my felicity,
When I could say without a crime,
I am not thine, but thee.
- I did not live until this time = personal pronoun, egotistical narrator. No pretences like in male poems as a form of disguise of ego. Positive effect of Lucasia
- Crowned my felicity = Royalist supporter
- Without a crime = platonic vs. latent homosexuality. Legitimising relationship
- I am not thine, but thee = spiritual connection, 2 become 1. Elongated vowels
This carcass breathed, and walked, and slept,
So that the world believed
There was a soul the motions kept;
But they were all deceived.
For as a watch by art is wound
To motion, such was mine:
But never had Orinda found
A soul till she found thine;
- Carcass = lack of life. Manipulating conventional ideas on substance dualism, Descartes. Animalistic without soul.
- Breathed, and walked, and slept = asyndetic list of passive verbs, triad
- Soul = distinct entity separate from body, spiritual aspect of a person
- All deceived = disguised herself as living, legitimising relationship
- As a watch = image of time. Before L awakened her soul, she was automaton. First live suggest inanimate being
- A soul till she had found thine = platonic love
Which now inspires, cures and supplies,
And guides my darkened breast:
For thou art all that I can prize,
My joy, my life, my rest.
- Inspire, cures, and supplies = contrasts with previous asyndetic list of passive verbs. Triad of particularly female images of maintenance and growth creates female sphere for interaction
- Darkened breast = Sapphic undertones, reflective of male influence vs. female autonomy
- Prize = successful gain
- My rest = repose vs. 2 become 1, needs her to be complete. Repetition of possessive pronoun my = ownership
No bridegroom’s nor crown-conqueror’s mirth
To mine compared can be:
They have but pieces of the earth,
I’ve all the world in thee.
- No bridegrooms nor crown-conquerors’ mirth = reference to marriage situation. Was married off by father, unhappy marriage. Rejects traditional marriage and voyages of discovery. Mirth is microcosm for R discovery
- To mine compared can be = rejecting male hegemony, transgressive
- I’ve all the world in thee = expands her love to fill whole universe. Meta manipulation of space
Then let our flames still light and shine,
And no false fear control,
As innocent as our design,
Immortal as our soul.
- Let our flame still light and shine = light imagery contrasts with darkened breast. Passion, light of life. Collective pronoun
- No bold fear control = apology for feelings? Lesbian passion, reappropriated by modern critics vs. purely platonic in context. Increased interest in platonic relationships due to the lack of passion in arranged marriages
- Innocent as our design = gender imagery, does not have anatomy to penetrate. Sassy reference to gender, link to s1, without crime
- Immortal as our soul = transcended boundaries of life and death. Soul is repeated 3 times in poem, exclusively female space, metaphysical exploration of inner and outer being. LAD debate. 3-fold repetition of collective pronoun our = unity
themes
- Friendship
- Relationships
- Women
- Platonic love
Body and soul
title
Possessive pronoun ‘my’ contrasts with collective ‘our’ – marks transition in relationship
Emphasis on friendship asserts relationship as platonic, link to innocent as our design/without a crime
light imagery
o S4 = darkened breast
o S6 = let our flame still light and shine (heat = metonymic of passion)
imagery of time
- Imagery of time
o S1: I did not live until this time
o S3: for a watch by art is wound
imagery of life and death
- Imagery of life and death/Platonism
o S2 = carcass vs. soul, distinct entities
o S3 = soul till she find thine
o S6 = immortal as our soul
o Soul repeated 3 times in poem, interest in Neo-platonism
progression of pronouns
- Progression of pronouns
o First person pronouns dominate until s6
o Repetition of my in s4 = possessive
o Moves towards collective. 3-fold rep of ‘our’ = unity
gender
- Gender
o Asserts innocence of relationship (without a crime/innocent as our design)
o Absent listener, without title, you wouldn’t know if it was about a male/female
o Vagueness of gender in pronouns (thee/thou)
o Apostrophises L in title
language general
- Elongated vowels
- Mythopoeic quality of triplets
o Triad of passive verbs vs. female images of maintenance and growth (effect of Lucasia)
o A syndetic lists - Tries to talk about platonic love, but can’t help but get imagery of body in (darkened breast – Sapphic undertones)
Assonance of I am not thine
structure
- Alternating rhyming couplets (desire to couple vs. spiritual connection?)
- 6 regular quatrains, simple and unambitious. (Aware of her position vs. purity of feeling)
- Mixture of tetrameter and trimester. Almost ballad form, lyrical. Reflects Cavalier tradition, she was a Royalist vs. court milieu in which she was based
- Simple structure with powerful impact
Ends with word soul
