RESEARCH ON GWEN HARWOODo key aspects- shaped her thinking as a writer o relationship with religion, philosophy, music o thoughts on the role of women in general AND as housewives o belief in Australian identity
CHILDHOOD
- born in 1920, Queensland
- feminist mother, concerned with community issues
- self- sufficient family- Gwen’s grandmother earned her own living for the majority of her life. Gm’s attitude challenges society’s patriarchal beliefs of femininity; transpires into G’s poetry.
- musically orientated family. This knowledge and love of music is why Harwood’s poems possess such strong feelings of rhythm and metre.
ADULTHOOD
- an aspiring musician, Gwen became a music teacher and an organist at the Church of
England (Christian)
- learnt German, in order to read poems
- deep interest in philosophy. Poems contain strong contrasts of language and experiences i.e mystical and domestic.
- began writing poetry in 1950
- Australia= white, middle class, patriarchal.
- H- upper middle class
- joined a nunnery for 6 months. Had a strong belief in God; higher power.
MARRIED LIFE
- married William Harwood, 1945, moving to Tasmania- felt alienated
- had four children
- survived cancer- 1985
- died in 1995
Describes marriage as a form of imprisonment, however believed the role of wife and mother was fulfilling, and loved caring for her children. Strong maternal feelings. Believed having children was a form of immortality.
POETRY
- she’s not a confessional poet, didn’t want to involve readers in her private life
- critical of academics, not a social or political activist. Refers to her poetry as a “private project”
- feminist- criticised idealised concepts on motherhood, exposing the frustration and isolation of motherhood
- was a controversial cultural figure in the 60s and 70s
- uses traditional metres and forms
- wrote under many pseudonyms (Walter Lehman, Miriam Stone, many other males).
Some poems were accepted only once under male pseudonyms. Harwood believed male poets were taken more seriously by editors and public
SITES: http://islandmag.com/an-interview-with-gwen-harwood-from-the-island-archives/ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-features/gwen-harwood-confronts-withthe-spectre-of-mortality-in-her-selected-poems-text/story-fni3wj64-1227052572169? nk=0d4987c84500ff765feb7708ee25b37d http://www.slideshare.net/Kayedavies/gwen-harwood-presentation http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/gwen-harwood-selected-poems-201302112e7lg.html http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/publications/poetrynews/hero/harwood/
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