Empowering Strategies at Home in the Works of Nikki Giovanni and Rita Dove
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Empowering Strategies at Home in the Works of Nikki Giovanni and Rita Dove Maria Proitsaki Faculty of Human Sciences Thesis for Doctoral degree in English Mid Sweden University Sundsvall, 2017-09-28 Akademisk avhandling som med tillstånd av Mittuniversitetet i Sundsvall framläggs till offentlig granskning för avläggande av filosofie doktors torsdagen, den 28 september 2017, klockan 13.00, room M 102, Mittuniversitetet, campus Sundsvall. Seminariet kommer att hållas på engelska. Empowering Strategies at Home in the Works of Nikki Giovanni and Rita Dove © Maria Proitsaki, 2017-09-28 Printed by Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall ISSN: 1652-893X ISBN: 978-91-88527-27-1 Faculty of Human Sciences Mid Sweden University, 85170 Sundsvall Phone: +46 (0)10 142 80 00 Mid Sweden University Doctoral Thesis 270, 2017 For Iris, Martin, and Thomas The stars on my twig Acknowledgements My thesis project has been a bold endeavor and an adventurous journey that lasted far longer than I originally anticipated, so I am really pleased to have completed it. I am glad that, though life intervened on numerous occasions and my circumstances were often foreboding, I continued writing. I am sure I learned a lot about the world and myself that I would not have otherwise. Over time, many people contributed in different ways to my work and I am happy I have encountered them all. Back in school, via the poems of Kavafis, Karyotakis, Seferis, Elytis, and the ancient lyrics, my Greek teacher Christos Foundos showed me the way to the pleasures of poetry. At Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Prof. Ekaterini Georgoudaki handed me the seeds to this thesis on a pink post-it note, empowering me to believe that I could achieve beyond my gender and class limitations. At University of Gothenburg, Prof. Ronald Paul, Dr. Britta Olinder, the late Prof. Gunilla Florby, and Prof. Michal Anne Moskow, a colleague at University West and a good friend, were particularly kind, supportive and inspiring. When it looked like I might drift away, Anne kept reminding me that I could do it and that I should be doing it… They all read my texts and encouraged me wholeheartedly and for that I owe them special thanks. Several other faculty members and doctoral students who participated in my WIP seminars were with their comments part of my creative process and I wish to thank them all. At Mid Sweden University, I was very lucky to meet Dr. Anders Olsson, Dr. Jonas Harvard, and my main supervisor Prof. Steven Hartman. They opened the way for me to complete my work and I shall always be grateful to them for offering me this chance. Dr. Martin Shaw and my fellow graduate students prodded me forward with their comments and I appreciate their contribution. Many thanks also to Dr. Elizabeth Kella, my external reader for her affirming commentary and the insightful feedback she gave to my text. Throughout this time there is one person who has been my mentor, whose support and inspiration I have cherished, and who deserves my warmest thanks. Dr. Alan Shima has read, and commented on my texts numerous times; moreover, he patiently listened to my concerns all these years and has always found distinct nuggets of wisdom to respond with. I feel humbled to have known Alan for the wise person he is and for his invaluable role as a (truly interdepartmental) supervisor of my thesis. In a broader perspective I should mention the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which funded my early research, Mr. Fred Viebahn, who made sure I received help whenever I had queries on Ms. Rita Dove’s work, and Ms. Dove herself, who politely endorsed one of my early published papers. The members of the Afam-lit mail list deserve a mention for providing a valuable, if informal, African American academic context to my oftentimes lonely research work. A nod goes also to the many wonderful scholars I have met at the Collegium of African American Research (CAAR) conferences, who, as engaged discussants and cheerful peers, embraced me with kindness. Last but not least, I am thankful again to Professor Ronald Paul and to Dr. Michael Hinds at Dublin City University, who reviewed and proceeded to publish my academic articles, a much needed acknowledgment each time. My best friends will not expect to find their names here, but they have been a great support. Athena Haralambidou, Vaso Stravodimou, and Magda Tsionki, my tribe since our English Dept. days in Thessaloniki, cheekily called me “Dr.” long before I was sure I would ever receive my Ph.D. and lifted my spirits when I was overwhelmed. To my mother and my father I owe my undergraduate education and my persistence—their help when things were rough was vital. I also know that my grandfather, who went only to primary school, but on his own built the house of my childhood, would be proud to see me accomplish my goal, had he been alive. I shall dedicate this thesis to Thomas, my favorite Swede, who kept me safe during this ride, and to our children, Martin, who is not likely to ever do poetry, and Iris, who might! August 2017 Göteborg Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. IX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Aims and Approach........................................................................................... 1 Scope, Delimitation, Principles for Selecting Primary Material ........................ 4 The Two Poets................................................................................................... 8 Previous Scholarship ....................................................................................... 13 Chapter Outline .............................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: BLACK WOMEN AT HOME, THE LOCUS OF CONTRADICTION AND THE ARTICULATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE .................. 23 Black Feminist Criticism, “Black Feminist Thought” ....................................... 23 Strategies of Empowerment ........................................................................... 30 Home and Domesticity/the Domestic ............................................................. 42 The Meanings of House/Home for Black Women ........................................... 47 CHAPTER 3: DOMESTIC SPACES IN NIKKI GIOVANNI AND RITA DOVE .............. 55 Poetry Collections ........................................................................................... 55 Prose ............................................................................................................... 63 The House/Home as a Site of Power............................................................... 75 CHAPTER 4: EVERYDAY AND IMAGINED: EMPOWERED GIRLHOOD AT HOME ... 82 Living and Learning in Safe Homeplaces ........................................................ 84 Concealment, Hiding, and Sharing Knowledge ............................................... 89 Homebound Imaginative Flights ..................................................................... 96 (Re)Visons of Adult Life ................................................................................... 99 Claiming One’s Ground ................................................................................. 105 vii Departures and Returns ................................................................................ 109 CHAPTER 5: SURVIVAL AND EMPOWERMENT OF ADULT WOMEN AT HOME ... 116 Appreciating Domestic Existence and Roles ................................................. 118 The Removes of Romantic Love .................................................................... 122 Dealing with Loss .......................................................................................... 129 Embracing One’s Circumstances and Choices............................................... 130 Coping with Hardships via Daydreams, Memory, Withdrawal ..................... 136 Willingly Transforming the Mundane ........................................................... 144 Challenging Self-Defeating Stereotypes and Opening to the World ............. 150 CHAPTER 6: ANCESTRAL FIGURES: EMPOWERED ELDERLY WOMEN AT HOME ........................................................................................................................... 157 Family and Community “Pillars” ................................................................... 157 Elderly Women Influences in the Works of Giovanni and Dove .................... 160 Utilizing Memory and Claiming a Peaceful Domestic Life ............................ 163 Focusing on the Rewarding Parts of One’s Existence ................................... 170 CHAPTER 7: INSPIRING ANCESTORS, STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS .............. 176 Mature Women as Nurturers and Guides..................................................... 177 Offering Support and a Sense of Belonging .................................................. 181 Physical Resemblance and Touching ............................................................ 187 Communicating Legacies .............................................................................. 194 Assertive Connections over Food .................................................................. 198 CONCLUSION: IMPLICIT KNOWLEDGES AND LOVE AS MEANS TO EMPOWERMENT ........................................................................................................................... 209 WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................