This week, I am trying my hand at some poetry analysis. This is normally quite scary because poetry can be really ambiguous and confusing. I have chosen the poem, "Maids, Not to you my Mind Doth Change" by Michael Field. I was pretty jazzed to read about this piece because, Michael Field is a pen name for two female lovers, Edith Cooper and Katharine Bradley. This piece not only dismantles gender stereotypes that were pressured at the time, but it also serves to express the push for the sexual freedom of women. It is somewhat important to keep in mind that these are two female poets as it helps us to envision the potential societal pressures the lovers were under but also advises on how we should interpret some of the lines. An example of how this could impact analysis is in the first few lines "Men I defy, allure, estrange, / Prostrate, make bond or free" (Field lines 2-3). Which, before doing my own research on the authors, led me to believe that this was potentially falling into the trope of the monstrous woman. Where an independent or powerful woman is depicted as being evil as a result of her attributes. While evil may be a stretch, “manipulator” could still apply. However, once we apply the context of the writers, it’s obvious that this wasn’t meant to be a negative depiction of women but to simply state their disinterest for men despite potential suitors. The lines later in the same stanza serve to aid in that depiction as we see that it’s intent is to express disinterest in men and emphasize their attraction to each other, “soft as the stream beneath the plane / to you I sing my love’s refrain; / between us is no though of pain, / peril satiety” (Field lines 4-7). This context also helps us deeper analyze, “Soon doth a lover's patience tire, / But ye to manifold desire / Can yield response, ye know / When for long, museful days I pine” (Field lines 8-11). Without context, it could be simply interpreted as a pining to be able to spend with a loved one that you have not seen for some time. However, in the context of Bradley and Cooper’s lives, this mean so much more, as a result of societal pressures they likely couldn’t have been affectionate with each other outside of their home and therefore the “museful days” she pines for may just be being able to spend time outside of the home with her partner. There is also the issue of limitations for sexual intimacy as again, this would have been opposed by others in society at the time. “And if care frets ye come to me / As fresh as nymph from stream or tree, / And with your soft vitality / My weary bosom fill” (Field lines 18-21) gives a bit of a glance into what it was likely like for them to be lovers at this time. Meetings were inconsistent and affection had to be hidden and love reserved for only their shared space. This poem does a beautiful job of showing forbidden love in a way that conveys the pure adoration and love they held for each other as well as throw a few punches at the impositions on society. Honestly, this piece could be so much deeper analyzed (by someone more gifted in that department than me) but I think that the background information and the context are very important as I truly wasn't sure how to interpret the piece. Bradley and Cooper's love and life is a really interesting piece of literary history so I have linked some sources below so you can read through that should you want to, and I also have linked the poem for line references and in case anyone wanted to read their work. Some cool links about Bradley and Cooper: https://thewire.in/culture/poets-and-lovers-the-two-women-who-were-michael-field https://news.yahoo.com/poets-lovers-two-women-were-153855559.html https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/michael-field Link to “Maids, Not to you my Mind Doth Change” https://hellopoetry.com/poem/73384/maids-not-to-you-my-mind-doth-change/
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