The World s Wife: a EMC Study Guide This PDF dowload is copyright Eglish ad Media Cetre. Permissio is grated oly to reproduce the materials for persoal ad educatioal use withi the purchasig istitutio (icludig its Virtual Learig Eviromets ad itraet). Redistributio by ay meas, icludig electroic, will costitute a ifrigemet of copyright. EMCdowload
Credits Writte ad edited by Barbara Bleima ad Lucy Webster Cover desig: Rebecca Scambler Prited by: Stephes ad George Ltd. The Eglish ad Media Cetre, 18 Compto Terrace, Lodo, N1 2UN, 2007 ISBN: 987-0-0907016-95-3 Ackowledgemets Thaks to Ava Houris of Parliamet Hill School, Camde for readig ad commetig o the text, ad to the teachers o the EMC s Teachig The World s Wife course, November 2006. Thaks to Lida Combi for the cartoo o page 49. A ote o the text Please ote, this is a edited versio of the prit publicatio (2007). Copyright restrictios prevet the iclusio of text extracts i the dowload editio. Where ecessary activities have bee adapted. 2 Studyig The World s Wife Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007
Cotets Cotets Itroductio 4 Before Readig Cotextualisig The World s Wife the dramatic moologue Features of a dramatic moologue 8 Explorig the titles 9 Readig the Collectio Little Red-Cap 10 Thetis 14 Quee Herod 17 Mrs Midas 22 from Mrs Tiresias 25 Pilate s Wife 29 Mrs Darwi, Frau Freud ad Mrs Aesop 32 Mrs Sisyphus 35 Mrs Faust 37 Delilah 39 Ae Hathaway 41 Duffy ad 20th-cetury icos 48 Mrs Quasimodo 51 Medusa 54 The Devil s Wife 56 Circe ad Peelope 58 Mrs Lazarus 63 Pygmalio s Bride 66 Mrs Rip Va Wikle 69 Mrs Icarus 70 Salome 71 Eurydice 76 Pope Joa 80 Mrs Beast 82 Demeter 86 After Readig A dramatic readig 90 What s i a voice? A close focus o laguage 90 Images ad motifs 92 Satirical techiques i The World s Wife 93 Duffy s use of form 96 Represetig wome 97 Talkig back to a poem differet versios 98 Pastiches of The World s Wife 99 Categorisig the poems 99 Cotroversial statemets 100 Critics ad reviewers o The World s Wife 102 The World s Wife drama ad role-play revisio games 104 Carol A Duffy i the dock 105 The themes addressed i the poems a wall display 105 Criticism ad Sources Criticism ad reviews 106 Source stories ad characters 108 5 Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007 Studyig The World s Wife 3
Itroductio Itroductio The scope of the material Studyig The World s Wife is divided ito four mai sectios: Before Readig Readig the Collectio After Readig Criticism ad Sources Before Readig icludes activities o the literary cotext ad the dramatic moologue, placig Duffy s work i the cotext of both earlier femiist re-writigs of traditioal tales ad the history of the moologue from Teyso ad Browig owards. Readig the Collectio provides activities o the idividual poems, itegratig critical ad cotextual material ito the study of Duffy s poetic ad liguistic techiques, the creatio of character ad voice, ad the exploratio of key themes. Recogisig that studets eed to balace detailed kowledge of the idividual poems with a appreciatio of the whole collectio, this sectio icludes activities Lookig outwards, placig each particular poem i the cotext of the collectio as a whole. After Readig builds o this overview approach ecouragig studets to rage aroud the collectio, developig isights ito the collectio ad the discrete poems. Throughout the material a wide rage of approaches is used, icludig creative ad critical writig, role-play, close aalysis, chartig, diagrammatic represetatios ad so o. Ways of usig the material It is ot expected that ay studet will work through all the work o ay oe poem, or ideed that all the poems will be studied i the same amout of detail i class. The material i this pack could be used i the followig ways: i class as idividuals, pairs or groups workig o o the same poem, with selected support from this pack i class as idividuals, pairs or groups workig o differet poems, followed by whole class feedback or sharig/expert groups whole class work o a key poem followed by idividual/pair/group work o related poems homework preparatio followed by sharig groups homework preparatio followed by groups teachig their poem to the class. 4 Studyig The World s Wife Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007
Before Readig Before Readig Cotextualisig The World s Wife the dramatic moologue The poems i The World s Wife are all writte i the form of the dramatic moologue. Defiitios of a dramatic moologue A kid of poem i which a sigle fictioal or historical character other tha the poet speaks to a silet audiece of oe or more persos. Such poems reveal ot the poet s ow thoughts but the mid of the impersoated character, whose persoality is revealed uwittigly; this distiguishes a dramatic moologue from a lyric, while the implied presece of a auditor distiguishes it from a soliloquy. Chris Baldick: Oxford Cocise Dictioary of Literary Terms a speech by a sigle fictioal character that reveals a aspect of the arrator s persoality usually a defect of character that the speaker himself is ot aware of. Lee T. Lemo: A Glossary For the Study of Eglish This poem is dramatic, i that i it we are preseted with a character addressig aother character, as i a play or drama. (The addressee ca be plural, multiple, sice more tha oe character may be preset i the scee. But i this case we fairly aturally slip ito supposig that the speaker is talkig to just oe perso.) Note that the term dramatic as icorporated i the term dramatic moologue has othig to do with dramatic i the sese of sesatioal or eve emphatic or obvious as whe the ewscasters breathlessly aouce some dramatic evets i Lodo or wherever. A dramatic moologue, whether o stage or i a poem or story, ca be quite uassumig or subtle. It eed oly be iterestig. Lyma A. Baker, Kasas State Uiversity, www.k-state.edu The dramatic moologue has bee used by may writers, as a poetic form. The two examples icluded here will give you a cotext i which to place Carol A Duffy s collectio. Teyso s Ulysses ad Browig s My Last Duchess are very well kow examples from the 19th cetury. While Teyso adopts the character of a figure from Greek mythology, Browig s persoa is based o a 16th-cetury Italia Duke, Alfoso II d Este, fifth Duke of Ferrara. Read the two dramatic moologues ad ote dow your respose to each. As a class, discuss aythig that strikes you about the moologues, particularly the way i which each poet creates the voice of the speaker. Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007 Studyig The World s Wife 5
Before Readig Ulysses It little profits that a idle kig, By this still hearth, amog these barre crags, Match d with a aged wife, I mete ad dole Uequal laws uto a savage race, That hoard, ad sleep, ad feed, ad kow ot me. I caot rest from travel: I will drik Life to the lees: All times I have ejoy d Greatly, have suffer d greatly, both with those That loved me, ad aloe, o shore, ad whe Thro scuddig drifts the raiy Hyades Vext the dim sea: I am become a ame; For always roamig with a hugry heart Much have I see ad kow; cities of me Ad maers, climates, coucils, govermets, Myself ot least, but hoour d of them all; Ad druk delight of battle with my peers, Far o the rigig plais of widy Troy. I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experiece is a arch wherethro Gleams that utravell d world whose margi fades For ever ad for ever whe I move. How dull it is to pause, to make a ed, To rust uburish d, ot to shie i use! As tho to breathe were life! Life piled o life Were all too little, ad of oe to me Little remais: but every hour is saved From that eteral silece, somethig more, A briger of ew thigs; ad vile it were For some three sus to store ad hoard myself, Ad this gray spirit yearig i desire To follow kowledge like a sikig star, Beyod the utmost boud of huma thought. There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail: There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariers, Souls that have toil d, ad wrought, ad thought with me That ever with a frolic welcome took The thuder ad the sushie, ad opposed Free hearts, free foreheads you ad I are old; Old age hath yet his hoour ad his toil; Death closes all: but somethig ere the ed, Some work of oble ote, may yet be doe, Not ubecomig me that strove with Gods. The lights begi to twikle from the rocks: The log day waes: the slow moo climbs: the deep Moas roud with may voices. Come, my frieds, Tis ot too late to seek a ewer world. Push off, ad sittig well i order smite The soudig furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyod the suset, ad the baths Of all the wester stars, util I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us dow: It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, Ad see the great Achilles, whom we kew. Tho much is take, much abides; ad tho We are ot ow that stregth which i old days Moved earth ad heave, that which we are, we are; Oe equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time ad fate, but strog i will To strive, to seek, to fid, ad ot to yield. Alfred, Lord Teyso (1842) This is my so, mie ow Telemachus, To whom I leave the sceptre ad the isle, Well-loved of me, discerig to fulfil This labour, by slow prudece to make mild A rugged people, ad thro soft degrees Subdue them to the useful ad the good. Most blameless is he, cetred i the sphere Of commo duties, decet ot to fail I offices of tederess, ad pay Meet adoratio to my household gods, Whe I am goe. He works his work, I mie. 6 Studyig The World s Wife Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007
Before Readig My Last Duchess Ferrara That s my last Duchess paited o the wall, Lookig as if she were alive. I call That piece a woder, ow: Frà Padolf s hads Worked busily a day, ad there she stads. Will t please you sit ad look at her? I said Frà Padolf by desig, for ever read Stragers like you that pictured couteace, The depth ad passio of its earest glace, But to myself they tured (sice oe puts by The curtai I have draw for you, but I) Ad seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, How such a glace came there; so, ot the first Are you to tur ad ask thus. Sir, twas ot Her husbad s presece oly, called that spot Of joy ito the Duchess cheek: perhaps Frà Padolf chaced to say Her matle laps Over my Lady s wrist too much, or Pait Must ever hope to reproduce the fait Half-flush that dies alog her throat : such stuff Was courtesy, she thought, ad cause eough For callig up that spot of joy. She had A heart how shall I say? too soo made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate er She looked o, ad her looks wet everywhere. Sir, twas all oe! My favour at her breast, The droppig of the daylight i the West, The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke i the orchard for her, the white mule She rode with roud the terrace all ad each Would draw from her alike the approvig speech, Or blush, at least. She thaked me, good! but thaked Somehow I kow ot how as if she raked My gift of a ie-hudred-years-old ame With aybody s gift. Who d stoop to blame This sort of triflig? Eve had you skill I speech (which I have ot) to make your will Quite clear to such a oe, ad say, Just this Or that i you disgusts me; here you miss, Or there exceed the mark ad if she let Herself be lessoed so, or plaily set Her wits to yours, forsooth, ad made excuse, E e the would be some stoopig, ad I choose Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, o doubt, Whee er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commads; The all smiles stopped together. There she stads As if alive. Will t please you rise? We ll meet The compay below, the. I repeat, The Cout your master s kow muificece Is ample warrat that o just pretece Of mie for dowry will be disallowed; Though his fair daughter s self, as I avowed At startig, is my object. Nay, we ll go Together dow, sir. Notice Neptue, though, Tamig a sea-horse, thought a rarity, Which Claus of Isbruck cast i broze for me! Robert Browig (1842) Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007 Studyig The World s Wife 7
Before Readig Features of a dramatic moologue Below are some typical features of the dramatic moologue form that you might wat to thik about, whatever moologue you are readig. I pairs, apply these features to oe of the moologues o pages 6 ad 7, the feed back your ideas i class discussio. 1 Addressee a listeer Is the listeer ever metioed? Is there ay sese of who it might be ad whether it is just oe idividual, or more tha oe? 2 Sese of place Does the moologue clearly take place i a particular eviromet or is this left ope? 3 Opeigs Does the moologue have a formal opeig or does it seem as if you re breakig ito a coversatio that s already part way through? 4 What kid of voice is it? use of idioms idiolect colloquial phrases slag ad swearig the same voice throughout or differet at differet stages i the poem repeated phrases toe of voice 5 The arrator ad the poet behid the arrator Does the arrator reveal him or herself uitetioally? Is the reader expected to take away a differet view of the arrator to the oe he/she thiks he/she is puttig across? Is there a degree of iroy i this? 6 What s the poit? Are we simply beig give a view of a character or is there more to it tha this? Is the poet raisig themes, or ideas about the way people live, through the character? 8 Studyig The World s Wife Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007
Before Readig Explorig the titles Carol A Duffy s 1999 collectio of poems is called The World s Wife. I pairs, braistorm your resposes to, ad ideas about, the title. Lookig at your resposes to the title, discuss your expectatios of the poems i this collectio. Prited below are the titles of all the poems i the collectio. Read through the titles a couple of times, makig a ote of aythig which strikes you as iterestig, strage, amusig, puzzlig ad so o. I pairs, group the titles ito as may differet clusters as you ca, otig the reasos for your choice. For example, you might decide to divide the titles ito two groups: those wome who are referred to as Mrs ad those who are ot. Joi up with aother pair. Take it i turs to itroduce ad explai the reasos for the groupigs you have chose. Make a ote of ay ew ideas. Little Red-Cap Thetis Quee Herod Mrs Midas from Mrs Tiresias Pilate s Wife Mrs Aesop Mrs Darwi Mrs Sisyphus Mrs Faust Delilah Ae Hathaway Quee Kog Mrs Quasimodo Medusa Circe Mrs Lazarus Pygmalio s Bride Mrs Rip Va Wikle Mrs Icarus Frau Freud Salome Eurydice The Kray Sisters Elvis s Twi Sister Pope Joa Peelope Mrs Beast Demeter The Devil s Wife Eglish ad Media Cetre, 2007 Studyig The World s Wife 9