Why do I make the differentiation? Amorous is defined as showing feelings of sexual desire. Synonyms are lustful, sexual, erotic, and passionate. Ah! Perhaps it is the last word that could explain The Amorous's poetry most accurately. Though her identity is not known for sure, there is speculation that she is Martha Fowkes Sansom, who took to ensuring that her writings we full of expression, wit, and passionate claims and desires. The sound and feel of her writings with those of the anonymous female writer seem to be similar enough to be the same author. Plus, the alluded age, time, and place of her writings are the same for circumstances being added together to reveal who the author Might have been.
You may have never heard of The Amorous Lady of the 1700s, but in a literary world ruled by men, her style of writing was a breath of fresh air for readers. Her poems were published in a small paper, The Barbados Gazette between 1731 - 1737. Whoever she is, we get the honor of enjoying her wittiness and sharing her passions as we read her works hundreds of years after they were penned. These writings can be considered works of art. They can be analyzed by looking through the formation of words to what they are meaning. For the sake of space, links to two of her intriguing poems are included below.
Writing is art? What is art? Is it any good? Who says? Why do 'They' matter? What makes writing readable? Is it interesting, entertaining, knowledgeable? Should it represent the known world, or stretch our imagination to comprehend the improbability of the impossible? Must it be validated? Are there rules one must write by? What happens when you break those rules? Art, writing, beauty - who has the say in the say of the said? These questions entice and plague the art and literary world, and the conundrum is that almost anything can be considered art, though I do believe that there are fakes who throw a rotting banana on a wall with duct tape making the absurd claim that this is art, and you have no right to tell him it is otherwise. But then there are artists like Rothko who incorporate the building in which his single color prints are hung, and I've heard the acoustics of the room make it seems as if the paintings are vibrating and alive.
Device a husband could place on his wife if she talked/gossiped too much.
The same with writing. Should a dimestore romance novel be given the same scrutiny and adoration as the Neo-classical writers such as Alexander Pope, and John Dryden? Or perhaps, readers are able to see the difference between what is cheap plastic and 24K gold. The Anonymous Lady knows her worth and is bold enough to dare her critics to tell her otherwise. The difference between her and the banana is her sustainability. Her contemporaries do not agree with her writing style and in "On Being Charged With Writing Incorrectly" she argues that she cares not for their criticism and that her poetry wasn't written for them anyway. Her claim is laid out clearly in the first couple of lines where she writes, "I'm incorrect: the learned say That I write well, but not their way." She goes on to taunt them by accusing them of writing for fame alone when she writes out of her inner passions and would rather write from her heart than suffer her poetry constraint by proper usage of nouns and verbs.
The reader can enjoy her witty attacks when she writes "My genius I will still obey: Nor with their stupid rules control The sacred pulse that beats within my soul. I from my very heart despise These mighty dull, these mighty wise, ..." Her male counterparts have an unnatural feeling to their works and she is free from the boundary of rules than reign in creativity. She calls them dull, being bound by 'trifling errors' which not only binds their pens but stifles the readers too. Her wish, her desire is that "With transport I the pen employ, And every line reveals my joy ... If I a pleasure can impart, Or to my own, or thy dear heart, If they gentle passions move, 'Tis all I ask of fame or love."
As progressive as they were, the staunch and stoic feel of the era (In her opinion) was repeated in the writings of her contemporaries. When the work is published and the piece is put on display, what the audience sees or reads is merely a byproduct of the artistic process. Art was created in the mind before it was ever placed on paper. Most often the final outcome is not at all what the artist imagined, therefore, the act of creation is special. The events that take place and are added, expanded, processed all become the project. Passion triggers the heart, is processed in the mind and fashioned by our hands. To call the end product "Art" is appreciating a tenth of the whole. She was an activist paving the roads for other female writers and all she was doing was refusing to be bound by traditions and rules. This gave her poems emotion and movement. Like Rothko, she pushed the boundaries of her art allowing her poetry immunity to the criticisms it endured. The Amorous Lady pushed boundaries, and to her, the ability to press passion into progress pushed her forward to write, no matter what the outcome - though that was quite pleasing as well.
Mona Lisa Smile - "It's Art!"
Works Cited
Contributors, Wikipedia. Vers. 981308806. October 1
2020. 26 October 2020.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Dryden&oldid=981308806>.
Wikipedia.
Vers. 983789636. 16 October 2020. 26 October 2020. <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexander_Pope&oldid=983789636>.
Lady, The Amorous. A Letter to My Love - All
Alone, Past 12, in the Dumps. 2020. 26 October 2020.
<https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/letter-my-love%E2%80%94all-alone-past-12-dumps>.
"Mona Lisa's Smile - Second Lesson 'It's art!'."
YouTube, uploaded by Florencia Fossati, April 27, 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYxCZpbKsAs
Poetry Nook . 2020. 25 October 2020.
<https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/letter-my-love%E2%80%94all-alone-past-12-dumps>.
Great blog. Your blogs are always so informative and really covers all aspects of the topic very well. I also love the first image you found and i loved your comparison of throwing a banna at the wall and calling it art. True we should never tell anyone what is or is not art but I also beleive that sometimes it can be a strench. Just as I believe that some authors are better than other, just because I understand or relate better with one writing does not mean the other still isnt art. Also thank you for the tips on my blog I made few changes and beleive it sounds better now. Thanks.
Thank you Jackson. I like the image too. I wish I had thought up the banana/duct tape artwork, and would like to think it wasn't real. Unfortunately, that is not the case, but like you state, just because 'I' don't like it, doesn't mean that someone else can't. You have been a wonderful person to communicate with and knowing you from class, you do not hand out compliments easily.
Hello Carlie. I am a Pastor from Mumbai India. I am glad to stop by your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am also blessed and feel privileged and honoured to get connected with you as well as know you and about your interest in Missions. It was learning experience to go through your blog post. I love getting connected with the people of God around the globe to be encouraged strengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 41yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reach out to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come with your friends to work with us d uring your vacation time. I am sure it will be a life changng experience. Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you your family and friends. Also wishing you a blessed and a Christ centered rest of the year 2020. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede.
Gifted and Honors Programs Are NOT the Problem! It's been a while since I have written you. Forgive me for my absence. What you are about to start reading is the beginning of a project I am doing as part of my Teacher Education classes. As a parent, I had formed my own opinions about my daughters' education, teachers, and programs at their respective schools. They spent their elementary years at a Christian private school in Florida where the class sizes were small and personal instruction of students was encouraged and available. When we moved up to Georgia, we experienced a notable change. The teachers were caring, I am not disputing that! The problem was that they did not have the time or resources available to give the one-on-one attention so many of the students desperately needed. Because of this, I saw that students were falling through the cracks. Remember, I am writing this from a parent's point of view at this point. The teachers lacked consistency. I began to n
Few Are Chosen Revelations 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Birth Pangs When we read the word "and" it is always preceded by information or action that coincides with what comes after. When reading the scripture above , we should be curious about who they and him are and what is happening that needs to be overcome? How will they overcome him? We then see ' and ' two more times indicating that the blood of the Lamb, the Word of their testimony; and not loving their lives unto death can only happen when all three things are combined. To break it down - t hey, are followers of Jesus; h im, is the enemy of mankind; the Lamb, is Jesus. Revelations chapter 12 tells about the end times and gives a glimpse of what God's people will have to do to stand against the attacks of the enemy. How do they gain the victory? By faith in Jesus, the testimony of what He
God, Creator of All ... Even Science. Is Science A Replacement For or An Explanation About God? God wants to know and be known by His people. Would anyone who loves their children, when told their child is hungry, give them a stone and say, “Be filled?” Matthew 7:7-12 As the Father of all creation, He is wonderous enough to not only give us the vast universe to enjoy, but He might possibly also give us the means to dissect, study, and build upon its foundations. Every person has an inner pursuit of truth, yet, how to search for and find truth varies differently in times and between cultures. Even more diverse are the means people discover their ‘truths’. Is truth relative, varying from person to person? And what is the standard to which we should base truth? John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress during his 12 years in Prison. His crime? Preaching the Word of God. Despite Bunyan’s caution of never taking a political position, those in power were concerned that he could i
Great blog. Your blogs are always so informative and really covers all aspects of the topic very well. I also love the first image you found and i loved your comparison of throwing a banna at the wall and calling it art. True we should never tell anyone what is or is not art but I also beleive that sometimes it can be a strench. Just as I believe that some authors are better than other, just because I understand or relate better with one writing does not mean the other still isnt art. Also thank you for the tips on my blog I made few changes and beleive it sounds better now. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jackson. I like the image too. I wish I had thought up the banana/duct tape artwork, and would like to think it wasn't real. Unfortunately, that is not the case, but like you state, just because 'I' don't like it, doesn't mean that someone else can't. You have been a wonderful person to communicate with and knowing you from class, you do not hand out compliments easily.
ReplyDeleteHello Carlie. I am a Pastor from Mumbai India. I am glad to stop by your profile on the blogger and the blog post. I am also blessed and feel privileged and honoured to get connected with you as well as know you and about your interest in Missions. It was learning experience to go through your blog post. I love getting connected with the people of God around the globe to be encouraged strengthened and praying for one another. I have been in the Pastoral ministry for last 41yrs in this great city of Mumbai a city with a great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reach out to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the brokenhearted. We also encourage young and the adults from the west to come to Mumbai to work with us during their vacation time. We would love to have you come with your friends to work with us d uring your vacation time. I am sure it will be a life changng experience. Looking forward to hear from you very soon. God's richest blessings on you your family and friends. Also wishing you a blessed and a Christ centered rest of the year 2020. My email id is: dhwankhede(at)gmail(dot)com and my name is Diwakar Wankhede.
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