Hilda Doolittle
Hilda “H.D.” Doolittle was an American poet who was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and lived between the years 1886 and 1961. She gained fame in London through her published works. Her charisma and literary prowess earned her the leading role within the Imagist movement that was rapidly growing at the time.
Literary Themes
Doolittle’s works explore the themes of modernism and identity. She captures the departure from Victorian norms and the entry into an age characterized by technological changes, global conflicts between nations, and the evolution of female identity. Her works also explore the emergence of literary perspectives that marked the end of traditional symbolic systems that aimed to give events and occurrences new meanings. For example, the theme of identity is common in “Sea Garden” poems. She used coded language to discuss the female self, her vulnerability as a woman, and the weakness of traditional views on femininity. She also used the poems to celebrate her unique character and personality that were different from those of other poets.
What I Liked
Several aspects of Doolittle’s literary style made me love her poems. She has a vast and versatile literary approach that enables her to explore different issues in a creative way. For instance, I was intrigued by her perspectives with regard to the sense of the sacred, femininity, and modernism. Some of her poems reveal her attempts to understand the causes of violence and efforts to propose mitigation strategies. Her exploration of language is magical and an example of literary genius. For example, poems that cover dull themes such as war and conflict are captivating because of the creative use of language. One of the key aspects of Doolittle’s poems is creativity. Her imagist poetry is innovative and highly influential. She did not adhere to the literary status quo that was prevalent during her era. Doolittle tried new things and embraced different perspectives in order to make her work stand out from the rest. For instance, her poems challenge the conventional Victorian view on femininity. She regards both male and female genders as sacred. Her epic poetry challenges engrained masculine conventions and introduces a style that praises femininity and explores her female-centered literary vision. Finally, Doolittle’s poems are an expression of her courage and liberalism. She fought strongly against traditional femininity and criticized culturally-assigned gender identities. Her visionary imagination foresaw the departure from the Victorian past to a different future that values and respects both genders. She was not afraid to challenge the status quo.
What I did not Like
There are several aspects of Doolittle’s poems that I did not like. First, there is the widespread use of mythological and biblical allusions that make the poems difficult to read and comprehend. Second, the poems that she wrote as a member of the Imagist movement are very impersonal. In that regard, it is hard to establish a relationship between the poems and human emotion. The relationship is deeply encoded and therefore, it is difficult to comprehend and create meaningful connections. Third, most of her works are complex and cover a wide range of themes. For this reason, they are difficult to identify with especially for people who have never been exposed to poetry. The religious, psychological, and linguistic dimensions of her work are sophisticated and necessitate the contextualization of themes such as modernism, women’s poetry and feminist theory.