Desire in Poetry: Challenging Heteronormativity by Cornelia Eboh https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok Comparing and Contrasting Aphra Behn and Katherine Philips en-us 2022-03-24 21:21:27 UTC 2023-05-12 00:59:05 UTC hello@padlet.com Aphra Behn ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2117723201 Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was a English poet and playwright who broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations of women. A majority of her poems discussed progressive ideas that many people of her time frowned upon. Ideas regarding female honor and female sexual autonomy are common in her work. She also challenged traditional relationships by showcasing unorthodox love affairs. ]]> 2022-03-28 17:53:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2117723201 Katherine Phillips ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2117727175 Katherine Phillips (1632- 1664) was an English poet who wrote 125 poems on a variety of subjects. She used friendship and the relationships in her life as a driving point for many of her poems. Her poems often commented on the intricacies of society and the monarchy that she lived under. She was said to be an inspiration to later poets and dramatists, both male and female.]]> 2022-03-28 17:56:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2117727175 Aphra Behn and Katherine Philips both utilize sapphic imagery in their works; however, there are some significant differences in their approach. rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2121508921 2022-03-30 13:42:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2121508921 rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2122025535 "Aphra Behn’s work is evidence of a moment of explosive lesbian salience not just through her poetic expressions of female-to-female eroticism but in challenging the prevailing ideas of heteronormativity and women’s place in the world, both in her work and as one of the first women to earn a living through writing at a time when most women were defined by the men they married." (from  Aphra Behn and the Poetics of Lesbian Salience in the Seventeenth Century. by Jane White, 2015. ]]> 2022-03-30 17:53:07 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2122025535 "To the Fair Clorinda" rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2122042810
  • In Aphra Behn's  "To the Fair Clorinda", the speaker professes her romantic and erotic feelings for a woman. 
  • The woman is described as both a fair maiden and a lovely charming youth (Behn's hermaphroditic ideal)
  •  "And without Blushes I the Youth persue; so much beauteous Woman" - the speaker is not ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that she is erotically attracted to the female body.   
  • In this way Aphra challenges heteronormativity and sends a message of sex positivity.
    • ]]>     2022-03-30 18:02:03 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2122042810     What is Sapphic Imagery? ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129175532 The term sapphic refers to an often romantic infatuation between two women. It stems from the poet Sappho who's poems often illustrated acts of lesbianism. This intertwines with imagery when a poet utilizes abstract language and symbolism to showcase intimate interactions between women.]]> 2022-04-04 17:50:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129175532 Thesis Statement: ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129238315 Katherine Phillips and Aphra Behn both challenged heteronormativity in the way they wrote about desire.]]> 2022-04-04 18:23:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129238315 To my Excellent Lucasia, on Our Friendship jgutierrez01_4 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129251957 In this poem Katherine Philips expresses her close relationship with her friend Lucasia. As the start of the poem ,"I did not live until this time" (Line 1), would represent the significance their relationship had. 

    Philips throughout the poem explains how her connection with Lucasia is so close, that their souls are connected forever "Never had Orinda found, A soul till she found thee" (Line 11) Immortal as our soul (Line 24) 

    This poem was one of the earlier presentations of a relationship between women. 
    ]]>     2022-04-04 18:31:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2129251957     Harriette Andreadis (1989) The Sapphic-Platonics of Katherine Philips, 1632-1664 rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133493554 In this article, Andreadis argues that Philips uses conventional images of the heart, spirit and soul which were "stocks in trade of the male discourse of metaphysical passion for women" to describe her erotic feelings, desires, and passion for women. ]]> 2022-04-06 22:22:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133493554 "The Disappointment" rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133496490
  • In The Disappointment, Aphra Behn challenges traditional sexual politics
  • Cloris is disappointed by Lisander's impotence. She wants to be fulfilled sexually but also wants to maintain her virtue as a virgin.
  • In this poem, Behn uses vivid images of nature such as the "melting snowy breasts" and "finding beneath the verdant leaves a snake".
  • Using nature not only provides a strong visualization for the sexual encounter between Cloris and Lisander but also conveys the message that sex is a natural thing 
    • ]]>     2022-04-06 22:25:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133496490     Difference in Approaches to the Game of Sexual Politics rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133527112
  • Aphra Behn uses more erotic language and erotic images in her poems.
  • Katherine Philips uses the language often used by male poets in their writings about love and courtship but she directs it at women.  In this way her approach is less direct than Behn's.  
  • Philips describes the connection of souls to disguise her sexual desire. Desire is masked by eloquent use of language that describes an unleashing of ecstasy that comes from the connecting of soulmates.
  • Behn provides a more vivid visualization of the sexual act between partners-both heterosexual and homosexual.
    • ]]>     2022-04-06 23:02:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2133527112     "Song to a Scottish Tune" ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2135057371
  • In this poem, Behn describes the relationship between a female speaker and man referred to as Jemmy. 
  • From lines 1 to 16, the speaker talks about how Jemmy captivated her. She says things like “he was the finest swain” and “I could not say him nay”. This showcases a sort of infatuation that not many women in the 1800s discussed. This is pure, unbridled lust. 
  • Behn goes on to vividly describe their sexual interactions. She describes the things that Jemmy would do to the speaker and the things that the speaker would do to Jemmy. This is something that would have been seen as scandalous and disgraceful in Behn's time.

    • “And Jemmy every grace displ[ay]'d, 
    Which were enough I trow, 
    To conquer any princely Maid: 
    So did he me I vow.”

    • By the end of the poem, it is revealed that Jemmy must leave to go fight in the war. Also leaving the speaker by proxy. Causing the speaker to be very upset. However, the speaker does not appear to be upset for the typical reasons. In line 32 the speaker states “What becomes of me”. This indicates that rather than being fearful for Jemmy and his life, she is more upset that she will no longer have anyone to have sexual relations with him. 
    • This is a very progressive concept because it is very rarely that we read about a self serving woman. A woman who is “selfish” and thinks about herself and what she wants. Typically women are thought of in relation to men. However in this poem, the woman is her own individual and the man is thought of in relation to her. 
    • Their relationship was purely physical and did not subscribe to typical heteronormative ideals. The speaker was not obsessed with her honor nor was she interested in becoming Jemmy's domesticated housewife. She is just concerned with her own happiness and pleasure.
    ]]>     2022-04-07 17:43:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2135057371     L'amitie, To Mrs. M Awbrey rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2136869563
  • The speaker in this poem by Katherine Philips describes a passionate connection with her soulmate-a women
  • In this reading of the poem, the passion and desire are effectively communicated.
  • Line 10 " Thy breast is thy private cabinet" demonstrates Hillary Menges' theory that Katherine Philips views friendship as a safe haven.
  • Hillary Menges makes the argument that within the privacy of friendship Philips felt protected and free to be herself.  
    • ]]>     2022-04-08 19:57:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2136869563     Similarities between Aphra Behn & Katherine Philips rbaldwin01_2 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2137614356
  • Both Aphra Behn and Katherine Philips are pioneers in the literary world as they achieved fame as poets and broke through the patriarchy that dominated at the time.
  • Both Aphra Behn and Katherine Philips challenged existing norms related to gender and sexuality.
  • Both Aphra Behn and Katherine Philips wrote poems that described sexual desire and passion.
    • ]]>     2022-04-09 21:01:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2137614356     Women becoming poets: Katherine Philips, Aphra Behn, Anne Finch scardona01 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138242861 Mermin writes about Philip's career as a writer and the complications that coincide with being a writer at the time. “The matchless Orinda” was able to achieve her recognition through her literary works which Mermin argues is because “They flourished in literary contexts that gave openings to a female voice: The sexual freedom and gender ambiguities enjoyed during the Restoration, which allowed women to speak as erotic subjects.”

    • Orinda was heavily influenced by her only precursor Sappho
    • Mermin also argues “Their poems are made to appear spontaneous and artless…they usually write of a world remote from politics and the hierarchy of gender.” 
    ]]>     2022-04-10 20:24:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138242861     "Invitation to the Country" scardona01 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138243294 A poem dressed with platonic and court vocabulary, meant to disguise an underlying desire the speaker is trying to convey to the “friend.” We are introduced to the friend only known as Rosania, who we can assume is facing the challenge of living away from her friend under the court. 

    “There we search nature and its authour too; 
    Possess’d with freedome and a reall State
    Look down on vice, on vanity, and fate.
    There (my Rosania) will, we mingling souls”

    In these few lines from the poem, the speaker conveys the desire to the friend. While remaining playful “there we search nature and its authour” and  “We mingling souls” can be interpreted as a sexual invitation to the friend.


    ]]>     2022-04-10 20:25:36 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138243294     Orinda to Lucasia jgutierrez01_4 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138568054  Philips, or as she would call herself Orinda, writes a poem about the sufferable wait she goes through before meeting her soulmate once more. 

    starting with birds yearning for the night to be over and the sun to rise, "Observe the weary birds e’re night be done" (Line 1) Philips explores the idea of the birds waiting for the sun to rise to continue their lives. 

    As Lucasia to Philips is just as the sun is for the birds, thus the night time for the birds is connected to Lucasia's absence. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    From thee I’ve heat and light, 
    Thy absence makes my night.

    ]]>     2022-04-11 03:16:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2138568054     The Matchless Orinda jgutierrez01_4 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2139653867 Orinda is the name that Philips would use to refer to herself, her close peers would refer to her like this.]]> 2022-04-11 18:32:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2139653867 By: Cornelia, Ryan Baldwin, Joe, and Sebastian scardona01 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2143041951 2022-04-13 22:06:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2143041951 Maybe it's Just Speculation... ceboh011_1 https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2144130853 It is said that Jemmy referred to the king of Scotland. So, it cam be speculated that the speaker was involved with him prior to him going to take his place of the throne. Reading the poem in the framework that Jimmy is the prospective king shifts the perspective a lot. This poem suddenly starts to take the role of political commentary. It could be read as Aphra showcasing a lack of respect for the throne. By having a speaker who views Jemmy as only a sexual partner rather than a superior, Aphra brings him down on the same level as the civilians. ]]> 2022-04-14 17:01:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2144130853 Comments and suggestions https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2148953099 Here are my thoughts as I navigate this padlet. 
    1. Overall, the thesis needs development and revision. When you say that "they challenged heteronormativity in the way that they wrote," it is not clear what you are talking about. How did they do this--with word choice? imagery? genre choices? their creation of characters/figures? It needs clarification. 
    2. An entry on lesbian salience is interesting but not very constructive as I have no idea how you want it to connect to the project, nor have you analyzed it. Inserting a quote without explanation of its relevance is not helpful. 
    3. Your Andreadis pod does not illustrate an understanding of her article/arguments and an ability to apply her theories to Behn's work.
    4. In your "Invitation to the Country" pod, you have not included line numbers, nor have you included analysis of the lines.
    5. Your slides on the authors show an overview of the poet, but the information is not tailored to this project. In other words, details about their poetry or publication history that would support your thesis are not included.
    6. There is an inconsistency in the level of scholarship across the project. For example, the pod on "Song to a Scottish Tune" shows an attention to detail and critical analysis that is absent in other pods.
    7. The project needs a hard edit. See, for example, the slide on Jemmy.
    8. Depth and development. While the presentation attempts to tackle a lot of information by incorporating several poems, in doing so much of it reads at surface level. For example, the explanation of Dorothy Mermin's article mentions the influence of Sappho but leaves it unaddressed. I wonder why it is being included, if the idea of influence is not going to be explored. This approach characterizes many of the entries in the presentation. Rather than zeroing in and digging down deep, many of the entries touch the surface as if checking a box. As a result, I don't see the kind of analytical probity I was hoping for in a 300-level English project.
    9. Focus. While I liked the inclusion of the Youtube video, for example, at the end of the entry it mentions Menge's ideas about Philips' use of friendship as liberating. It is not clear how the reading of the poem is connected to this point. It makes it difficult for the reader to understand the nature of the pod. Overall, the format was challenging to follow respect to the significance of the pods. It was not clear how they were organized.
    10. Finally, level of scholarship. Compared to other projects in the class, this one did not have the degree of analysis that I was hoping for. For example, in your similarities slide, your points are facts and not arguable points that illustrate close comparative work. I wonder, for example, "how" in point two. You need to dig deeper on the whole and show me specifically how these authors "write" desire and why it is important and/or significant for us as readers to consider this idea. I think the project, unfortunately, reflects the fact that members of your team were absent during the in-class sessions and as a result the project feels disjointed and under-developed. I think the level of effort in the project was also not consistent which is unfortunate for the members who really worked hard on this. I wish you would have sought out my help in class and during office hours as repeatedly suggested. I think there is a lot of potential here.
    Grade: C+ ]]>     2022-04-19 17:09:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ceboh011_1/b5vqdflsf7b5o1ok/wish/2148953099