HIERDIE EKSEMPLAAR MAG OND,ER University Free State GEEN OMSTANDIGHEDE UIT DIE BIBLIOTEEK VERWYUER WORD NIE 11~I~m~~~~~~moo~oo~34300000110704 Universiteit Vrystaat IMAGES OF MARY IN THE MARIAN PRAISE POETRY OF AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SEEKERS WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Lucia Antonia Whittle A thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor in the Faculty of Arts (Department of English) at the University of the Free State 30 November 1998 Supervisor: Or M M Raftery Un1versl~elt---------------~von die Oranje-VrYstaat BlOfMFONTEI N ~.11~ ~~.. 2 9 MAY 2000 .t.~ UOVS SASOL BIBLIOTEEK ...._'_....._-----...._--_...._ DEDICATION TO THE VIRGIN Sweet Virgin Mary, when your word you gave to be the mother of the Word made flesh you showed the valour of a spirit brave trading composure for a tangled mesh No whimper of regret blemished the birth That night in Bethlehem when the angels quired Quietly you bore and fed the Lord of earth, and heaven, Messiah long desired Your tender heart was riven by the sword that Friday when they nailed Him to a cross Woman of silence, you sustained your Lord eyes lifted to his eyes, no word of loss. Then did He speak, that suffering Son so mild: "Behold thy son" - and I became your child. Lucia A Whittle ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Hovering on the brink of a long-desired academic achievement, I have realised that without the efforts of many people in my life - some of whom are now long dead - a doctorate in English would ever have remained beyond my grasp as I am Dutch by birth and breeding. This is why I crave the reader's indulgence while I record the names of those who led me on this road in the sincere hope that my achievements, which in various measures were facilitated by their efforts, will lead to the advancement of others who will succeed us in their turn. Having delved into the literature of the past and seen how great a fascination it continues to exercise on the modern reader, I deem it vital that those to whom I owe my progress have their names recorded here, even though one or two of them, notably my father, were unable to speak English themselves. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of those to whom I owe any academic achievements did not themselves enjoy the benefit of the tertiary education they prized so highly, although those among them who did not attend university one and all possessed wisdom and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and would have acquitted themselves nobly, had they been privileged to receive the support they gave me. The completion of this thesis is the culmination of a lifetime of studying and reading. After God, to Whom I owe my reason and existence, I wish to thank my grandfather Dirk Hogenhout, my mother Annie Hogenhout Nooij and her sisters, particularly Nel Hogenhout, Leen Hogenhout Bader and Threes Hogenhout Hartmans, as well as my sister Elly Nooij Chappel, for teaching me to love the beauty and above all the hallowing power of words as contained in prayer, song and literature and thus bestowing on me my reverence for the word, both written and spoken. My thanks likewise go to my father, Gerard Nooij, who, while addressing me as an equal from my earliest childhood onwards, uncondescendingly discussed with me his personal philosophy on religion, which led to my appreciation of religious poetry. My oldest friend, Miss Wil Hëhle of Amsterdam, Holland, taught me the medieval Dutch songs which forty years later were to prove so helpful in my study of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, as they imbued these ancient forms of English with a simplicity they could never have for people born into an all- English background. Without the ..constant support of my. husband, Seán Whittle, and my housekeeper, Mrs Elsie Sethunya, both of whom took over my domestic duties for a dozen years to allow me the freedom to pursue my studies, I could not have done so. My thanks go to my children, particularly to my son Marius and his wife Barbara for their care of me during my visits to the university and seminary libraries in Pretoria and to my ewe lambs Jacinta and Annemarie, who bore the brunt of my need for quiet when it was time to study. I wish to thank my parents, husband, siblings, children and children-in-Iaw, my school principal Sister M Vincent Scully, my first employer, Mr George Peck, and my second-last employer, Mr Christo Jonck, for reassuring me at the various times in my academic career when I found myself beset by self-doubt. Il To my friend and role model Dr Hendrien Freeman go my sincere thanks for her generosity in sharing her expertise so generously and unstintingly in her belief that intellect and academic expertise are very special gifts from God and that it behoves those blessed with them to share them freely with their fellows. My introduction to English took place in Bloemfontein at GreenhilI Convent after my arrival from Holland via Jagersfontein in 1953. Here I was taught English by Sister Mary Edmund; a teacher by the grace of God. At Vista University's Welkom campus where I obtained my BA degree in 1990, 34 years after matriculating, I remember with appreciation particularly the English poetry classes of Drs Frank Rumboll and Melanie Skead. My thanks are due also to the staff of the Department of English at the University of South Africa, then led by Dr Shirley Kossick, where in order to obtain an honours degree in English I followed courses in Poetics and Criticism, Anglo-Saxon, African Literature, Shakespearean English and Victorian Literature. These I successfully completed in 1993. Having first been introduced to the beauty of the English language in the capital of the Free State, I felt it was fitting likewise to culminate my academic career in Bloemfontein, studying for the master's degree in English under the supervision of Dr Margaret Mary Raftery, a specialist in medieval English in whom I found a kindred spirit. I was introduced to Dr Raftery by Professor Roy Muller, head of the English Department at the University of the Free State after I had appealed to him for guidance with regard to my specific academic requirements. Dr Raftery astonished me by her instant recognition of my need to resuscitate the then mainly dormant corpus of Marian praise poetry of ages past; an endeavour in which she actively supported me; and which culminated in my obtaining the degree of Master of Arts in English at this respected institution in September 1996. Having been advised by my preceptors to pursue my studies into Marian praise poetry, my search for twentieth century examples of this literary genre with a view to obtaining a doctorate in English led me in June 1997 to the United States, where at the Marian Library of the University of Dayton, Ohio, I was welcomed with infinite kindness, courtesy and hospitality as well as the utmost intellectual support by the staff, certain of whose members are recognised world authorities on Mariology. My thanks are due to the poets whose work was used in this thesis. The nun- poets whose work comprises its main contents will be referred to by their religious names throughout the study. Their surnames, where available, will be mentioned in these acknowledgements and in the introductory chapters. In Chapter Four, and likewise in the bibliography, their full secular names will be provided, once again where available. Therefore, wherever these are omitted this will be because it was not possible, despite exhaustive enquiries, to ascertain them. Where the work of nun-poets is first mentioned after the introductory chapters, as in the case of some post-Ecumenical ones, their surnames will initially be stated. Where available, the initials designating the III orders or congregations to which the nun-poets belong will be used throughout for identification purposes. This having been established, I wish to thank Sister Maura Eichner SSNO, Mother Francis PCC and Sister M Paul Dale QCO who personally replied to my request to be allowed to use their poetry in this study. Sisters Maura and Paul granted me permission on their own behalf and Mother Francis's permission was signed by Sister M Cecilia PCC. I received authorisation from Sister Mary E Kraft CSJ (Archivist) to use the poetry of the late Sister Maris Stella Smith CSJ and from Sister Sheila Novak SOS (Provincial Superior) on behalf of the late Sister M Thérése Lentfoehr SOS. Qualified permission was granted by the copyright holders of the estate of Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit Powers, the Carmelite Sisters of Pewaukee, while Sister Catherine O'Brien CSC, (President: Sisters of the Holy Cross), exercised her congregation's copyright in terms of her capacity as executrix of the estate of Sister M Madeleva Wolff CSC. The South African poets Sheila Cussons and Father Bonaventure Hinwood granted approval for the use of their poetry and approved my translations thereof, though Fr Bonaventure suggested certain changes in regard to his work. These were duly effected. The religious superiors of Sister M Catherine Whittle PSN granted permssion for the use of her poetry. Prominent among the nun-poets whose permission for publication of their Marian poetry I was unable to obtain are Sister M Julian Baird RSM, Sister Sada-Marie Fingerlin PC and Sister M St Virginia Berry BVM. My apologies are due to them and their communities and I shall continue to endeavour to obtain their permission, or that of those who hold their copyright, in respect of the transcription of their luminous poetry.