Edith Sitwell's Fairytale Poems
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy Tired of Waiting: Edith Sitwell’s Fairytale Poems Supervisor: Dr. Van Durme Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of “Master in de Taal- en Letterkunde: Engels” by Ilse Deceuninck August 2015 Deceuninck 2 Acknowledgements The best stories usually start with the words “once upon a time” and it seems appropriate that I start my dissertation with the same words. Once upon a time, a little girl was born and she was not quite perfect. A little too uncoordinated and a little too opinionated, her family worried what would become of her as soon as she left the safety of her home. They knew that it was bound to happen someday, since the girl was headstrong and keen on doing things her own way. They resolved to become the girl’s fairy godparents, offering support and love when she needed it. They made the girl realise that it was ok to occasionally stray from home, because there would always be someone waiting whenever she returned. Over time, the little girl became a woman and developed a mind of her own. She worked hard on finding her “happily ever after”, always remembering that she would not have made it so far without the help of her very own fairies. I have encountered many “fairies” in my life, people who brightened my day with a mere smile or a kind word. I want to use this section to particularly thank the “fairies” who have made this dissertation possible. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude towards my supervisor Dr. Van Durme. Her patience, advice and expertise made all the difference. Secondly, I would like to thank my family and friends. They mean the world to me and I am forever grateful for their continuous support. Finally, I would like to thank my grandparents for showing me that magic does exist. Thank you for giving me ample opportunities to make my dreams come true. It is to you, marraine and pepe, that I dedicate this master dissertation. Deceuninck 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 6 2 Once Upon a Time: Modernism and Fairy Tales........................................................... 11 2.1 On Fairytale Studies ................................................................................................... 11 2.2 On Modernist Studies................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Modernist Fairytale Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach.................................. 22 3 Contextualising Edith Sitwell’s Fairytale Poems ........................................................... 25 3.1 Fairy Tales in the Modern Era ................................................................................... 25 3.2 The Personal Nature of Edith Sitwell’s Fairytale Poems......................................... 29 3.3 Differences in Reception............................................................................................ 32 4 When the Shoe Fits: Sitwell and Fairytale History........................................................ 35 4.1 Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy - Les Contes des fées .................................................... 36 4.1.1 Characterisation .............................................................................................. 38 4.1.2 Narration ......................................................................................................... 40 4.1.3 Intertextuality ................................................................................................. 43 4.1.4 Style ................................................................................................................ 45 4.2 The Modernists ........................................................................................................... 47 4.2.1 Edith Sitwell and modernist ballet ................................................................ 47 4.2.2 Edith Sitwell and modernist poetry ............................................................... 51 Deceuninck 4 5 The Sleeping Beauty (1924) ............................................................................................... 57 5.1 Traditional Fairy Tale or Fairytale Retelling? .......................................................... 58 5.1.1 Chronotope ..................................................................................................... 58 5.1.2 Attitude to the supernatural ........................................................................... 60 5.1.3 Characterisation .............................................................................................. 61 5.1.4 Optimism ........................................................................................................ 62 5.1.5 Action versus character development ........................................................... 64 5.1.6 Narratological features ................................................................................... 65 5.2 Fairy Tale or Myth?.................................................................................................... 66 5.2.1 Chronotope ..................................................................................................... 67 5.2.2 Attitude to the supernatural ........................................................................... 68 5.2.3 Characterisation .............................................................................................. 68 5.2.4 Optimism ........................................................................................................ 70 5.2.5 Action versus character development ........................................................... 71 5.2.6 Narratological features ................................................................................... 72 5.3 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................. 73 6 Prelude to a Fairy Tale (1927) ........................................................................................... 75 6.1 Fairy Tale, Fairytale Retelling or Myth? .................................................................. 76 6.1.1 Chronotope ..................................................................................................... 76 6.1.2 Attitude to the supernatural ........................................................................... 77 6.1.3 Characterisation .............................................................................................. 78 6.1.4 Optimism ........................................................................................................ 79 Deceuninck 5 6.1.5 Action versus character development ........................................................... 80 6.1.6 Narratological features ................................................................................... 81 6.2 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................. 81 7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 83 8 Works Cited ......................................................................................................................... 87 9 List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 95 (27 370 words) Deceuninck 6 1 Introduction We stand outside our own time, outside Time itself maybe (Tolkien 32) Fairy tales have been around for centuries and have inspired many artists and authors. Ann Martin states that “the sheer variety of fairy tales in modernity suggests that the texts [are] an almost inescapable source of reference for the writers” (7). While she refers to modernism in particular, the statement is applicable to almost every literary movement. Both in the past and in the present, writers have used fairytale themes and motifs to create expectations in terms of content and structure. For instance, the words ‘once upon a time’ immediately evoke certain associations that shape the reading experience. In recent years, scholars have shown an increased interest in the relationship between fairy tales and literary movements as works by Jack Zipes (2006), Vanessa Joosen (2008) and Ruth Bottigheimer (2012) illustrate. Numerous studies have appeared on the Victorian and postmodern period, whereas studies on the modern period have been scarce. Laura Martin affirms that “there is not much scholarship yet on fairy tales and modernism” (694), despite some notable exceptions such as Ann Martin’s Red Riding Hood and the Wolf in Bed: Modernism’s Fairy Tales (2006). Studies on modernist fairytale poetry are almost non-existent, even though most modernist poets alluded to fairytale content. Mieder even goes as far as to claim that all poets at least once referred to fairy tales during their careers (752). There is no conclusive evidence that can explain the lack of scholarly interest, but there are some indications as to why modernist fairytale poems are often disregarded in favour of more canonical works. The most likely explanation can be traced back to the rise of postmodernism, the literary movement that succeeded the modernist period. During the second half of the twentieth century, fairy tales “enjoyed an explosive popularity in North America and Western Europe” (Bacchilega 3) and scholars became enraptured