11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd F.R. Scott,A.J.M.Smith Bowering doubtstheaptnessoftermModernist asitisappliedtopoetssuch without everhavinggonethroughtheModernist (Kroetsch & Bessai206-207). as Robert KroetschthinkCanadianliterature entered thePostmodernist period old world(colonialandpatriarchal)inherowntextualterms. Waddington’s themodernistlyricwasacentralmeanstoexplore withthe arupture poetry world —atransitionalspacewherethesubjectengagesinaprocessoftransformation.In ofthelyric“I”exploringdialecticbetweeninnerandouter approach theconstruction speech asanalternativetoimpersonalmodernism” (Arnason).My paperisanattemptto Bond” asthe“Jewish me.”Inthesetwobooks,onefinds“the credibility ofcolloquial female identityandsubjectivityfromtheperspectiveofwhatshereferstoinherpoem“The ABSTRACT PALABRAS cal) deacuerdo asusingularmaneradeentendereltexto poético. conelviejomundo(colonialypatriar- duda elmedioprivilegiadoparaexplorarlaruptura un procesodetransformación.Enlapoesía Waddington, lalíricamodernistafuesin tica entre mundo interioryexterior—unespaciotransicionaldondeelsujetoexperimenta del“yo”es unaaproximaciónalaconstrucción líricoenesteperíodo,queexploraladialéc- lengua coloquialcomoalternativaalaimpersonalidadmodernista” (Arnason).Esteensayo Bond” llamael“yo“The judío”. Enestosdosvolúmenesencontramos“lacredibilidad dela explora laidentidadysubjetividadfemeninasdesdeperspectivadeloqueensupoema En susdosprimerospoemarios( RESUMEN KEY ( In herfirstbooksofpoetry

WORDS

In theninthsectionofhisbook ofcriticism CLAVE : Miriam Waddington, Modernism, lyricpoetry, women. jewishness, : Miriam Waddington, modernismo,poesíalírica,herencia judía,mujeres. “I” INMIRIAM WADDINGTON’S POETRY CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE MODERNIST R EVISTA C 169 ANARIA Esther Sánchez-Pardo González Universidad ComplutensedeMadrid 1 Green World TRANSITIONAL SPACES: andE.J.Pratt. voices Otherimportant inourtimesuch

DE E GreenSilence World,Second The STUDIOS , The Second Silence I NGLESES , 54;April 2007,pp. 169-180 ), Miriam Waddington explores Craft Slices 08/10/2007, 11:39 ), Miriam Waddington (1985),George

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ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 170 constructing a theory of perceptionwhichiscomposedofrealism andmediatism. atheory constructing enjoyment ofperceptions inthemodeofwhathecalledpresentational immediacyandcausalefficacy, He insistedonthesimultaneous body inperceptionfinallyseemedtooccupythecentralityitdeserved. important compared tothecausalmechanismwhichcontributeditsproduction. The roleofthe —whatisimmediately experiencedinperceptionisrelativelythe causal(orphysiological)theory un- tional theoriesofperception:thephenomenological—whatisgiven inimmediateexperience—and Cantos ifweCertainly confineoursenseofModernism tothestylesexemplified by Whitehead calledpresentational immediacy, the linguisticresearches, thePoundian “Make itNew” credo, theemphasisonwhat experienced Modernism late.It isthissideofModernism —thediscontinuousforms, Matisse the 1986editionofher lasting influenceonpost-warliteratureinCanadaandelsewhere. material world of Canadian literary culture remainedmaterial worldofCanadianliterary dominatedbymaleeditors, books asinvestigatingthe“innerunderground oflife” ofherselfandhersex. The significant difference thatasamodernfemalepoetshewasonrecord inherfirst dington wasinananalogouspositionCanadathefortiesandfiftieswith worlds thegentile,male,toneitherofwhichIbelonged” (61).Asapoet Wad- demic, andaprofessorofliterature inthefifties,“Ipretended tobepartoftwo female subordination. ies, tobeapoetandfemale,meantconflictwithculturalcodesthattacitlyassumed ‘woman’s place’ persisted...”(76).In thecaseof Waddington andhercontemporar- 1950s ideasoffemininity, offundamentaldifferences between thesexes andof Patters: Women inCanada native tradition,thatofwomen’s initsfundamentalspecificity. poetry In on thephysicalityofpoemanditsoriginsplacesheralonglineanalter- sionalism ofbothpoetsandcriticsduringthemodernistperiod.But heremphasis had beeneducatedtousethecodeofobjectivity, a tellingexpressionoftheprofes- inseparable.” ( breath ofthepoetareof apoem—fromwhichtherhythm,tone,voiceandvery actual physicalexistenceaswell. We tendtoforgetaboutthephysiologicalorigins that hasitsroots notonlyinthethoughtandfeelingofpoetbuther/his time,place,andperson.Once itiswritten,apoemanorganicthing particular poem, likeanyotherstructure, hasitsown ofa existenceandintegrity;itispart of modernismanditsaftermathinCanadianletters.Atthatmoment,shestated,“A withthelegacy plus agoodnumberofuncollectedpoems—shewasstillstruggling tion ofpoemsbyRobert Finch, LeoKennedy, A.M.Klein,E.J.Pratt, F.R. ScottandA.J.M.Smith. publishedin1936.Itmajor anthologyofCanadianmodernistpoetry— gathered togetheraselec- , (tomentionworksby thewriterswhomBowering names),thenCanada When Miriam Waddington for (1917-2004)setouttowritetheAfterword In In 2 1 Ulysses Alfred N. Whitehead’s ofperceptionisanaccountthatattemptedtojointwotradi- theory A.J.M.Smith wrote thecontroversial preface tothe Reinventing Womanhood Collected , Paterson 170 411) Waddington, asotherwomenpoetsofhergeneration, Collected Poems , The Making ofAmericans , Jane Errington notesthat“throughout the1940sand CarolynHeilbrun notes,asaJew, afemaleaca- —gatheringthebestofherpoemstodate 2 andsoon—thathashadthemost , and New Provinces 08/10/2007, 11:39 The Portrait ofMadame anthology—thefirst Changing The 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd N “the Muskoka themselves asbeingforGentilesonly, advertised resorts andthesign of poetry andcametoagreeontheneedforafemale-centredof poetry community. academics, andcritics.Overtheyears manyofthesewomenexplored thevocation Canadian university untilafter World War background” ( myCanadianfriendswhoseparentsence from hadbeenborninCanadaofEnglish ( larly beenhurledatmefromthestreetcornersandbackalleysofNorth ” cially ofJews...During schoolyears,thephrase ‘dirty allmyprimary Jew’ hadregu- and promotedanegative stereotype ofallEasternEuropean immigrantsbutespe- schoolchildwithBritish Empire brainwashedevery slogans, twenties andthirties life:“Canadiansocietyduringthe experienced anti-Semitism ofeveryday aspart tion becauseshewasJewish. She recalls thatwhilestilllivingin Winnipeg she first hand.Asachild,andlaterasyoungwoman, Waddington faceddiscrimina- a passionatetemperament,however, asaJewish-Canadian, race-hatred she knew ish daughterofRussian immigrants. herself asan“outsider” totheAnglo-Saxon andProtestant establishmentasaJew- help changethesocialsystem” ( literature andinSocial Work, andentered socialworkwithanavowed desire “to lived forfourteenyears. She earneddegrees fromtheUniversity of bothin She wasbornintoanintellectualJewish familyin Winnipeg, , where she ton faceddiscriminationduetoherethnicbackgroundamongotherconditions. and womaninthemass” ( of Livesay, AnneMarriott,andalsoofRaymondSouster “[whogave]voice totheCanadianman shared herlove forliterature andhercommitmenttosocialwork—shewrote withadmiration Modernism inCanada. Waddington closetoDorothy herselffeltvery Livesay —withwhomshe into the1950s,atimewhenEnglish-Canadiannationalismandmodernismfused. ernism” isreferred tointhecontextofitssecondwaveperiod,from theearly1940s Maza atonceoffered toread mywork” ( foraboutfouryears,andmymothermusthavementioneditbecauseMrs etry “real ( writer” toreadherpoetry ment Seven research. further Inother traditiononherworkdeserves herbookofessays, and ethnicity. Her firstlanguagewas Yiddish andtheinfluenceofthisdecidedly a placeforthe“I”traditionallyoutsidedominantgroup intermsofbothgender Bond”of whatsherefers asthe“Jewish toinherpoem“The me.”Her workstakes beyond, Waddington exploresfemaleidentityandsubjectivityfrom theperspective Apartment O J EWS She haswrittenoftheresentment shefeltasateenagerofherown “differ- “Being ofindependentmindandrebellious nature,” Waddington possessed As aJewish-Canadian poetwritinginthe40sand50s,Miriam Wadding- 3 There isaclearperception ofalackconnection amongwomenpoetsthroughout A (1989),shenotesthattheMontreal Yiddish poetIda Maza wasthefirst LLOWED 5). Apartment wasacommonplace...andnoJew couldgetajobteachingin 171 Apartment 5). The Dworkinfamilymoved toOntario atatimewhen 23). Apartment Apartment Apartment II 3).She recalls, “Ihadbeenwritingpo- ” ( 19) During thoseyearsshedescribed Apartment 3).In 40).In herfirstbooksand Apartment Seven 08/10/2007, 11:39 3 , “mod- Apart-

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ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 172 Canadian cities:, Toronto, and ( Waddington adynamicCanadiancommunityofmenandwomenin three portrays behaviour onetofiteachworld” ( me formanylongyears. They simplyexistedside bysideandIdevisedtwocodesof tural aspects—YiddishandEnglishCanadian—[which]didnotcometogetherin “the insidesphere” inwhichthespeaking “I”canplayoutatransformative ofpoetry geography,” a“transparent place” whichnurtures agrowing self. This isaspace, phrase andislaunchedintothepoeticspaceof“feeling thegreen world.” to therhythmsoffirstmetricmarker:heart. The “I”stepsoutwiththefirst within atextwhichisresonant ofthechild’s firstlandscape,themother’s body, alive morning.” In myreading, asavoice,an“I”withoutsex thespeakerventures forth tional situation:thespeakerofpoemstepsoutdoors,perhapsonalatespring cally andaurallybeautiful,”Ricouregards thispoemasdealingwitha“conven- fundamental strength” 74). (Jones While praising“Green World” asbothrhythmi- as, toquoteJones, “mark[ing] thefundamentaldirectionofherpoetry, andits “Investigator.” this firstbookwhichinclude“Green World,” “Gimli,” “Unquiet World,” and of selfandotherwomen.Iwillbefocusingonthemostsuccessfulpoemsfrom world, an“I”notalwaysidentifiedasfemalewhichoffersaltered visionboth and displaya“distinctive quality” (51).It isthelyric“I,”addressing achanged wrote that“the most successfulpoemsin andpoeticsinthe1940s.Northropetry Frye seemedtorecognize thiswhenhe contribution toCanadianpo- contradictions thatmakesthebook,animportant plexity ofthe“I”within 26). Yet, intheirtimidpraise,thesecriticshavealsotendedtooverlook thecom- own inventedone...”( “worlds” “that’s ledhertowritepoetry: whyIalsohadtocreate athird world,my about thisfirstvolumeofverse. their malecounterparts” (54-55).Reviewing Waddington whodidusemodernistmethodswere seldom“taken asseriously panorama ofCanadianletters.CaroleGersonhasnotedthatfemalepoetslike while Page andPatrick Anderson(56). The dominant toneofbothreviews suggeststhat volume’s “straightforwardness of...technique” incontrasttotheearlyworkofP.K. urbansociety”nature ofcontemporary (56).In addition,Pacey commentedonthe ages ofgreenness andgrowth” andsetincontrasttothe“twisted andfrustrating World language. Ten yearslater, Desmond Pacey calledthe“dominant theme” of skilful recording ofvisualbeautyandfromhersensitivefeelingfortheloveliness of Verse , AlanCrawley foundthatmuchofthecharmwritingcamefrom “the beautyandgoodnessofthenaturalworld,suggestedbyrecurring im- Green World In heressay, “Outsider:Growing Up inCanada” shedescribes“two cul- The worldinthepoemisdescribedasaspaceofpoeticrevision “beyondall Both Laurence RicouandD.G.Jones describethetitlepoem,“Green World” Numerous criticshavetendedtofind The year 1945wasnotanauspiciousmomentforwomenpoetswithinthe 172 displays“charm” and“loveliness” thereislittleelse,really, tosay Apartment Green World 38). Apartment ; acomplexityexhibitinganexplorationof Green World Green World 40). The troubleshefoundinboth Green World Apartment 08/10/2007, 11:39 are “strikingly original” favourablyfor “too simple” (Jacobs 24). Canadian Green 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd a wandering“I”inthelyric: landscapeandalsosetsforth The “I”inthepoemseesfinedetailofaparticular of the“green world,”notonlyof“dark spaces” butalsoofthewholepoeticprocess. poem; andthatvoicetakesusbackintoitspast. The poemfunctionsasametonym ther sustainedbythings“British” norcentred onmen. speaking in“Gimli” ofaCanadianchildhoodwhichisnei- celebratesthememory that atstrategicpoints,refusestobeeitherdecisivelyfemale,ormale. The voice may recall Waddington’s insistencethatthepoeticvoiceis“without gender,” avoice the poemwefindgeographicspecificityofaknown Canadianplace. The reader The pronoun“I”occursonlyonceandisnotidentifiedaseithermaleorfemale.In receptive, alternategreen worldwherethesubjectbothstepsoutandisheld: process. This isanenclosedspace,asclosetoawomblanguagecanbringus, ing” process ofmemory. speak inmodernverse ishere anengineassistingthe“spinning,” “hanging,”“blow- windy space.” space atfirst“holding” thespeakerandthen,enactingitspassage“intolarge morphosis asthewatersbreak Andthepoemconstitutesapoetic beforebirth. larity thattakesusintothe“insidesphere” ofprismaticpossibility, “as rainbows.” fluidity ofmovement thatillustratestheexplicitreference towaterimagery, acircu- and windyspace” ( under theintenselygoldpoint/ Warms, expands,/ Until wallscracksuddenly/Uncup meintolarge green rhythmstolongoceanflowings/ Rolls toward thesunwithsure andspinningspeed/And The territory of“theThe territory voice inme likeachild” istheonecelebratedinthis The worldoftechnologywhichcandiminishthehumanselfattemptingto Hanging fromthebanks.( Frog ditchespocketof jellyeggs Rusty well-water, bitter, iron-tasting Spinning toGimli’s summersuddenbeach I travelover youaswiftrailwaytrack “Gimli” thesecondpoemin The secondstanzasuggeststhefemale-centred andmeta- processofbirth “Green World” neitherfixed meternorrhyme,there observes isaclear Cast outoffocus( Move anddistendasrainbowsinamirror Where waterimagesclingtotheinsidesphere Beyond allgeographyinatransparent place holdme And curving, Its concavewallsmustcupmysummercoming When Istepoutandfeelthegreen world 4 The secondstanzainthepoemreads asfollows: “And /Shapes to chrysalis thiscrystal 4 Collected 173 1). Collected Collected 1) Green World 1) containstwomatchedstanzas. 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 174 then havingdoneso,tobless“the headywineofourhope” ( “prophet” isinvokedlikeamalemuseto“lookdeep” and“plumb ourpurpose,” consistent with Waddington’s modernism,thereader receives fragments. The “templed ruins” ofpost-warEurope. None isdeveloped.Instead, oftheimagery taleofSleeping Beauty,the fairy thetraditionofpatriarchywithinJudaism, andthe together insleep: the “fold[s]” ofthefemale’s “shining hair.” Bothreader andspeakerare “fold[ed]” movesthat thepatternofimagery fromtheallconsumingmale“beard ofJew,” to entire world. The imageofthepiouswifeisatcentre ofthepoemandonenotes oftheJewishusing theimagery Sabbath, speaksofrenewed visionandhopeforthe heritage. The Old Testament prophetiskeptoffstage,foraspeakerwho,while “Gimli” reflects backonitsspeaker, asmirrorsdo. The lastlinesread: woman is“rich.” cows” with“rich milkfoaming.”English milkis“sad bluemilk,”whilethePolish milk forourred pails,”whilethePolish womanis“the rightkerchiefkeeperoftwo both offerthechildren milk:the“shrill-voiced English womanhandedus/Sad blue power ofpoeticmaking. andassociatedwiththehealing both linkedtothefabricofafemaletraditioninart, with theofferof“mak[ing]” somethingfromsorrow, awork whichis,in“Tapestry” “sorrows,” “longing” (“Tapestry”) and“the brokenwingsofyourfuture” (“Girls”) girl grief, fear andmourning. The “I”inboth“Tapestry” and“Girls” responds to on recurrent asameness inexperiencearticulated lamentforwhatseems,inpart City,” womanandrecord and“Girls,” a specificallyfocusonthecontemporary old worldisin“ruins” oneremains andthenew toberaised. a transformativevisioncentredaround womenwakingwithinachanged world;the ing from“enchanted sleep” inthecentre ofthepoemsuggestsachallengetopursue This briefpoemhaswithinitadenseclusterofimagery. It drawstogether The headywineofourhope.( Plumb ourpurposeandhallowedbe Deep asthecratered earth With uspasttempledruins, From enchantedsleepandlook Then wakeusfresh withsabbathbread Of apiouswifeinslumberssweet, Fold ussmoothasshininghair In “Unquiet World,” thereader moves to“Friday’s festival” andtheJewish My griefofwaiting.( Now oflightedachingwindows beartheirfruit All thosecastlesweplantedinchildhood Like “Green World” withits“rainbows inamirror/ castoutoffocus,” There are twowomeninthepoem.Neither isdescribedasamother, but Numerous poemswhichfollow suchas“Ballet,” “Tapestry,” “In theBig 174 Collected 2) Collected 3) 08/10/2007, 11:39 Collected 3). The wak- 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd immediacy to the scene observed. immediacy tothesceneobserved. There isnoreceived mindsetorformulaofbelief passive ratherthanabsentandmenacing. The narratorofthepoemresponds with both describesthe“hotstreets” andseesinsidedwellings: of urbangrotesques:“foul granny,” “hunchbackson,”and“old man.” The lyric“I” squalor remains outsidetheparametersofpoem. We arepresented witharecord “timeless litter” ofthemodernworld,andanythingotherthanurbanrefuse and tor” delvesinto“knowing” nothingbutdarkness anddebris,openingbefore usa poem abouta“knowing” whichseemstopreclude being“known.” The “Investiga- apoeminwhichtheopeningpremiseertheless, isnottobebelieved forthisisa ways ofknowing. Beginningwith“I”andending“me,” “Investigator” isnev- tinues inthefirstandsecondstanzasof“Investigator” suggestsandemphasison decay ofurbancivilization. The repeated play withtheverb“to know” whichcon- first sectionof Burialgarden anddogechoesimagesfoundattheendof“The oftheDead,” poem whena“longleanlap-eareddog...Blinks weteyesatme.” The imageofa ironic distanceissetatthestart(“Just askme”) andaffirmedagainattheendof the world, the“Investigator” isconfinedtorecording decay. The irreverent toneof Green World a chronicle ofanurbanculturefull“dust.” Whereas manyof the otherpoemsin life extendingtobothsexes. hair pulledtight.”In thispoemthere isnospecificcrimehere butinsteadadeathin an urbanworldinwhichwomendisappearintointeriorsof“faded needlepoint, the as the“investigator” ofmatricide(3-30). The lyricspeakeristhe“investigator” of this poem. through hisfingers.” The oldmarkers ofbeauty, aregonein order andsymmetry cay” of“the oldman” whosits“[p]astthegarden” and“[l]etsthesunslipceaselessly (71-75). its bed?”/“OkeeptheDogfarhence,that’s friendtomen,”/“Or withhisnailshe’ll dig itupagain!”” your garden, /“Hasitbeguntosprout? Will itbloomthisyear?”/ “Or disturbed hasthesuddenfrost In “Investigator,” thetaskofonewhoinvestigatesisdirected tothe The urbansceneisoneofoppressive containment.“Investigator” contains In There isnopatriarch inthe“once-mansion,” only the“drooling senilede- And theblindsdrawnagainstdayandfeelofsun.( The fadedneedlepoint,thehairpulledtight The velourinteriors,theNiagara souvenirs, The piousmottoes,theprintedblessingdustpilinguponbureaus, Of thelaceantimacassars,picture ofkingsandqueens, Of theinandoutofhousestwentytimesaday, I couldtellyouandnoexaggeration 5 In “The Burial corpseyou plantedlastyearin In “The oftheDead”onefindslines:“That Writing intheFather’s House suggestadichotomybetween“green” natureandadecayingurban The WasteLand. 175 5 In Investigator,” “The thedogisboth present and , Patricia Smart writesofthefeministcritic Collected 08/10/2007, 11:39 5)

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ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 176 female presence isatthecore ofthispoem: brain”( “loving transformation. The itual mother. It beginswithonereference to“your death” here figured asaspaceof poem theemphasischangesfrom lyricmeditationonlove toaclaimingofspir- interests are differentfrom theexpectationsherculturebestowed onher. within lyricpoetry. In thisvolume,thefemalespeakerisincreasingly awarethather division anattempttoaddress allthesignificantaspectsoflifemadeparticular Poems forChildren, Poems of Work andPoems ofLiving.Clearly onesensesinthis essentialist position. female subjectivity. The womanwithinherpoemsrefuses tobecapturedinanyone eschews bothaunifiedidentityforitsfemalesubjectsandapproachto The Second Silence canbeunified,orevenshouldbe”ernism istoacceptthatnoteverything (160). what Iread astheknown worldofpatriarchyintoanalternatepoeticenclosure. (Cooley 1160) emergesinmetaphorsofwater,memory presenting theneedfordescentandflow.” and windows offerthresholds to‘other selves’ thatweare invitedtorecover, and us move intosuspendedmomentsfromthepast,puton“bandagesoflight.”Doors a green worldasanantidotetobroken livesinaworldoflostvisionshewouldhave semblable,— monfrère!” (76). tivity thanEliot’s speakeroffered in1922to“You! Hypocrite lecteur!—mon stanza. dington’s poem. The dogseemsmore alive than“the oldman” “drooling” inthelast There isnopossible“friend tomen” (Eliot 74)orforthatmatterwomenin Wad- displayed here; theinvestigatormoves aboutunfetteredby “mind forg’d manacles.” speaker muststruggletoclaimatextualspacewhichturns aroundahealingfemale Green World In poemsforMy “Three Teacher,” Waddington lyrics.In usesshort this In In In Dennis Cooley’s “[Waddington’s] view more abstractsocialpoemspresent The poemsuggestsashiftingfromthedomesticworldin whichthefemale By ourhumanityishallowed. ( Young forever, andyourname worldyourspirit In thismortal Transform you andwekeep By allyourchildren, ourwords andthought You areafountainmothertobesoloved Return toattendyourending. And allthosevoicesmourning All voiceslostandgone As thismorning,andIwish I wishyouquiethushandholy As seededsummerinitsflurriedcolour. As loved andloving, andasfull I wishyourdeathbemagicaslife Apartment Seven, Green World 176 (1955), Waddington’s secondbookofpoemsisaworkwhich begins, and concludes, with a very different versionofsubjec- begins,andconcludes,withavery The Second Silence creates atopographyinwhichthespeakerstepsoutof Waddington oftheproblemmod- statesthat“[p]art Collected Collected isdividedintofoursections:Poems ofLove, 11) 35)ofanintellectualandnurturing 08/10/2007, 11:39 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd soul ofmycity” without“mercy” ( spreads anaked,garishclaw” ( mermaids ontheseleatherscraps;”the“crane quarriesthecity/andsteamshovel 34) inMontreal. Onthewayto“the clinic,”sheisoneofanumber“sway[ing] like neighbourhood dogto“the sluggishgray/ofSaint Antoine’s shore-line” ( mation accomplishedwith‘words andthoughts’” ( movement intofemaleempowerment isanticipatedasbothdeathanda“transfor- like somegoldglowing/ rope” ( whosesweetskillcanring/Thesewalls withhealth true-heart fest in“Goodfairy presence bothteacherandmother. In “Journey totheClinic,”thispresence ismani- sandpiper: oftidesandthe orphanage inwhichlittlechildrenseemlinkedtothesea imagery mous” andthe“thirst denied” inthesecondstanzaisanswered onlyby the bitter mour” ofanindustrialanduncaringtechnology. Within thetrainsallare “anony- subjectivity ofbothmalesandfemalesisdiminishedbefore the “machinely hu- poem. the secondpoemcontinuesinfourth hush ofquietsuburb” where sheis“licked,possessedidentified” ( “Journey totheClinic.”In seven linkedlyricsthespeakertravelsfrom“the white subsequent explorationofthemother-childrelationship. of an“ethics ofcaring,”anethicswhichcanalsoberead toextendthebook’s approach tohermaterialbutratherwhatwe referred tobefore,thedevelopment the suggestionthatplainlanguagemayitselfbeastrategylinkednottocareless malelyricpoets’contemporary suchasDudek orLayton.But inthispoemthere is ballad,” mayhaveledsomecriticstoconsiderherworkaslesschallengingthan high modernism. Waddington’s emphasison“accessible form,”on“words plainas leges theworldofpopularsongandtraditionratherthanelitevision through whichhumanbeingsmaycontinue,pastchildhood,togrow. in provision of“the flowering seasonandmoving space” offemale-centrednurture ton’s Poems “Three forMy Teacher” celebratesamaternallybasedethics:manifest had beentheorized,atatimewhenmaternalfeminismseemeddated, Wadding- which isprominent throughout hersocialworkpoems.Before “maternal ethics” be readtodayasengagedwiththeconsiderationofamaternallybasedethicscare among Waddington’sno commentary reviewers whenitwasfirstpublishedcan from thewhirlpools” ( double silence.”It isthemother’s handwhich“steadily retrieves/ Their glances do withthe“hushandholy” of“new morning.” herself, butratherofthoseshehasnurtured. The “wish” intheabove stanzahasto And throughtheglass These whalesofmisery, Anonymous, weswimthesedeeps The speakerin“Journey totheClinic” takesusonajourneyinwhich In the“Poems of Work” section,woundedchildren are atthecentre of The third Poems andfinallyricsequenceof“Three forMy Teacher” privi- In thesecondstanzaofthispoem,“married couples” return “walking in 177 CP 11). Although “Three Poems 11).Although“Three forMy Teacher” generated Collected Collected Collected 34). The “indifferent buildersdredge/ the 35).In Poems “Three forMy Teacher” the 33). Underwater imagery introduced in 33).Underwater imagery Collected 11),notofthe“teacher” 08/10/2007, 11:39 Collected Collected 32)bya

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ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 178 red/ passionate dictionary” ( poem“GettingOlder,”the marvellous whichfocusesonawomanwho“becomes the on thebusin“Prayer” ( The Second Silence the finalpoem,“Inward Lookthe Trees.” Waddington’s poemsinthefinalsectionof ing threat ofnuclearwarandthatisthesubject explored in“Poems about War” and to avisionofinward glimpsesofgreen ( fish” ( ( “bitterness anddestruction” “not carriedinmindatmid-century earlyandnotlate” the finalsectionentitled“Poems ofLiving”— related tothechillofCold War with a prayertowhitewitchwith“transform[ing]” power: heart. The following taleand passagereads likeahybridbetweenCold-warfairy within anindustrialculture whichhaslostitssenseofpurposeanddirection, its hasceasedtobevalued. trial worldinwhichnurture erty, “months ofminimums,”itseemscommitted toanactivecaringinindus- world” ( nized moderncity, “Journey totheClinic” challengesitsreader toenterthe“inner CP 39). Within this“strange neutral” ( Collected The evil disease not clearly defined is, in “The BreadThe evildiseasenotclearlydefinedis,in“The We Eat” —apoemin andwreck ( Of injury Against your cloudeddreams (And more herloving brain) Beseech herclever touch Bring bandagestolight. And toallthestrickenbones The evildisease. And mayherwandtransform The allusionto“True-heart” mostlikelystandsinfornature andrenewal While genderisnotanexplicitconcernhere, ascompared toscarcity, pov- In mymostinward glimpses( That waves itsflagsandflickersgreentome Call upthedemons,letthemscaletree And alltheworldofpooratlasthavebroughtyou. Where yearsofmake-do,months minimums It isinsteadtheplace This isnoharbour. Although itrecords the“naked garishclaw” ( I hearasandpipersing)( themilesofspace (Through From playgroundtodaynursery, On tidesofnoisethelittlechildren rise Drink bitterorphanage. Collected 34) Waddington’s repeatedly returns, asinherearlierwork, poetry 178 34)ofthe“loving brain” ( return tofemalesubjectivity, whetherit is atthatoftheoldwoman Collected Collected Collected CP 48) or of “The Music 48)orof“The Teachers” ( 33) Collected 35) 51)assheentersmiddleage. Collected Collected 35) CP 35)neededtocare forthese“little 39)appearancesbelietheunderly- 35): Collected 08/10/2007, 11:39 34)ofthemecha- Collected 53),orin 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd biguity. In Waddington’s poem“Night inOctober” ( seen inmanydifferent lyricstances,mostofwhichinsistonambivalence andam- these lyricsisacutelyaware ofgenderandclassinequalityasanissue.‘Woman’ is F E E B Fascism, leadingupto World War oftheworldis,course,aphrasewhichsuggestsrise to thecrumbling wasted timeandurgedustowait” while“the worldwascrumbling.” The reference male-dominated elite,emphasizingtheculpabilityof“the oldmen” who“sat and/ influence oftheseBritish acritiqueofmilitaristic malepoets,andundertakes The unpublishedpoem,“We of1937,”reflectsapoliticalawareness suggestingthe dian poetsread“the newBritish poets—Auden, LewisSpender, MacNeice...” (22). soluble” ( reader has,ultimately,rary toreread thequestion andanswer, “unsolved andin- ernist lyric?For womenintheirdifferences tobe“there” inthetext,contempo- tonegotiatefemalesubjectivitywithintheCanadianmod- wrote modernistpoetry successive generationsrecognize Waddington’s ofthewomenwho andthestruggle 29), stillhungintheairassecondwaveofmodernismdrew toaclose. Would addressed tothesubject“Are youthere, are you there/ Are youthere?” ( extremely criticalofitsvalidity. observer’s stanceisrejected andthoughseveralofherpoemsdealwithitsheis process maybethere can be noturningaway, tower aestheticism.Even noivory the the internalandexternaliscentraltoherpoetry. No matterhow painfulthe indeed, anextensionofit. mustmaketheefforttomediatebetween That theartist ment arenotmutuallyexclusive; butthesecondissubordinate tothefirst,andis, ment” ratherthanpolitical. isprimarily thatofanartist The twokindsofinvolve- These elementsexistbutare not,Ibelieve,hermajorpreoccupation. Her “involve- society whoare isolated insomeway, butcannotsubscribetotheirexternalreality. to traceitssource toamere sympathyforpoliticalminoritiesorthe“victims” of describe thistensioninpoliticalterms,butitwouldbemisleading,myopinion, tomediatebetweeneffort theprivate worldandtheexternalone.It ispossibleto C RYE RRINGTON LIOT OWERING OOLEY , Northrop. , T.S. , Dennis. “Miriam Waddington.” Lorraine Code&LindsayDorner. Toronto: McClelland andStewart, 1988.51-79. Benson & William Toye.& Benson Toronto:UP,Oxford 1160-1. 1997. In In From thefirstpoemsin It isclearthatthecentraltensionin Waddington’s arisesfromthe poetry , George. , Jane. “Pioneers andSuffragists.” Collected The Wasteland Apartment SevenApartment The Bush Garden: Essays ontheCanadianImagination Craft Slices 29)tothebestofherknowledge. . New York: Boni&Liveright,1922. 179 . : Oberon, 1985. Waddington notesthatsheandothermodernCana- The Second Silence WORKS CITED The Oxford CompaniontoCanadian Literature. II . Changing Patterns: Women inCanada itisclearthatthespeakerwithin Collected . Toronto: Anansi,1971. 08/10/2007, 11:39 28-29),thequestion . Ed. SandraBurt, Ed.Eugene Collected

TRANSITIONAL SPACES: CONSTRUCTIONS... 179 11 EstherSánchez-Pardo.pmd

ESTHER SÁNCHEZ-PARDO GONZÁLEZ 180 S Naïve—— “The Eye inthePoetry ofDorothy Livesay P.K. Page, andMiriam Waddington.” P K J H G W R W —— —— J ONES ACOBS MART ACEY ICOU ROETSCH ERSON EILBRUN HITEHEAD ADDINGTON , D.G.“Voices intheDark.” Green World Collected Poems , Desmond. “Introduction.” , Patricia. , Laurie.“Into My Green World: The Poetry ofMiriam Waddington.” , Maria. “The Personal, Maria. “The Poetry ofMiriam Waddington.” , Carole. “The CanonBetween, Carole. the “The Wars: Field-Notes ofaFeminist Archaeologist.” Literary Würzburg: Würzburg: Verlag Konigshausen &Neuman, 1983. 108-114. from DistantLands:Poetry intheCommonwealth. 206-215. Watson Figures inaGround: CanadianEssays onModern Literature ColllectedinHonour ofSheila 46-56. Canadian Canons: EssaysinLiterary Value Writing Tradition 1957. xi-xx. Press, 1978. , Caroline. , Robert, andDianeB , Alfred North. Miriam. Writing intheFather’s House: The Emergence oftheFeminine intheQuebec Literary . Ed. Diane Bessai&DavidJackel. Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie, 1978. 12(1978):144-161. . Montreal: First Statement, 1945. . Toronto:U Toronto P, 1991. 180 . Toronto: Oxford UP, 1986. Reinventing Womanhood Apartment Seven: Essays Selected andNew Process andReality: An Essay inCosmology ESSAI Selected Poems ofDorothy Livesay 1926-1956 Canadian Literature . “Death Is. “Death aHappyEnding: ADialogue in Parts.”Thirteen . New. York: W.W.Norton,1979. . Ed.Robert Lecker. Toronto: U Toronto P, 1991. 44(Spring, 1970):73-74. Ed. Konrad Gross & Wolfgang Kloos. CVII . Toronto:UP,Oxford 1989. 08/10/2007, 11:39 5(Autumn 1980):26-33. . 1928.New York: The Free . Toronto:Ryerson, Essays onCanadian Voices