The Biographer Flashcards
What is the poem about?
A male poetic voice who has an unhealthy obsession with Charles Dickens which contains homoerotic undertones as he tries to copy him.
What is the significance of the description of the speakers own face at the end of the poem?
A lexical set of adjectives in an asyndetic list, egotistically describing himself: “its sexy jaw”, however he adds some false modesty via ‘talentless’ which conveys feelings of worthlessness and being pathetic
—–> links to previous adjectives: ‘snivel’ and ‘meagre’.
In what ways is the poetic voice trying to copy Dickens?
-Gothic doubling: ‘your mirrors, my face’.
-“How close can I get to the sound of your voice?” The intimate spacial diexis demonstrating his obsession through the preposition: ‘close’.
-“I slept alone in your bed.” Semantic field of intimacy with homoerotic subtexts.
-Neologism: trying to create new words, like Dickens, e.g: ‘smallish’.
Techniques of “the faces you wrote”.
The synecdoche acts as a metaphor for Dicken’s vivid characters which have left an impact on the speaker.
“I have an affair with a thespian girl- you would have approved.”
How does this convey the speaker?
Unfaithful and obsessive, not naming the girl, only using the common noun. He then assumes, through the modal verb ‘would’ that Dickens would have liked this adulterous act, emphasising the speakers obsession
Structure and themes of the poem?
Free verse, no structure or metre meaning it is an unrehearsed outpour of emotions.
Obsession, gothic, male confidence, the past, guilt.
Analysis of the title.
-Someone who writes about other people, linking with admiration and obsession.
-Defined by the profession, no self identity.
‘Her poems and jam.
Her forgiveness.
Her violent love.’
What does this imply about the Biographer and his wife?
Anaphoric repetition of the third person pronoun ‘her’, she is not named, similar to Dickens.
There is imagery of sweetness and domesticity which is juxtaposed by the oxymoron at the end.
It demonstrates a complicated relationship, similar to the second stanza with Dickens.
