White Writing Flashcards
What is the main conceit of White Writing?
A love poem written to Duffy’s partner
‘White Writing’ is the unacknowledged homosexual relationships in society and in literature
What are the key language methods that we see in White writing?
- Ephemeral imagery
- Elemental imagery
- Shakespearian allusion
- paradox
What are the key structural methods that we see in White Writing?
-Each stanza begins with what the relationship lacked then ends with how they fulfilled that gap
-Anaphora of ‘No’ indicates frustration towards the unrecognition of lesbian relationships in religion, law and history
What quotes show the method of: ephemeral imagery?
-‘words on the wind’
-‘traced with a stick where we walk in the sand’
-‘foam on a wave’
What quotes show the method of: elemental imagery?
‘your soul a flame, bright in the window of you maiden name’
‘inked water in moonlight’
What quotes show the method of: Shakespearian allusion?
‘palm against palm, lifeline, heartline’
What quotes show the method of: paradox?
‘No poems to written to praise you, I write them white’
What context should we remember for White Writing?
White writing- Helen Cixous states that white writing is inherently female, implying their voices are invisible
