This collection of poetry was quite intriguing to me. Some poems were more abstract than others and had me having to re-read them to fully understand what Neruda was saying, but I enjoyed the themes of love and longing that were present throughout.
One theme I picked up on, aside from the obvious theme of love, was Neruda’s use of nature and natural elements (wind, fields, the sun, etc) when describing love and his feelings of romance. I think the use of natural imagery to describe such intense feelings really helps to paint a picture in the reader’s head of how these emotions make Neruda feel, to sort of echo the experiences he is describing. The intensity of Neruda’s writing is increased by this use of nature, as his comparisons of his lover to different natural events are more than just words, but describe scenes that affect all the senses; Neruda describes aspects of love with sounds, visuals, and things you can almost feel in your body as you read.
One of my favourite uses of nature is in “The Morning is Full,” where Neruda beautifully paints a vivid picture of the morning. The clouds are “white handkerchiefs of goodbye”, that travel in the hand of the wind; a cloudy, windy morning could have been described in many mundane ways, but Neruda draws you into his poetry by taking a more interesting route.
From this week’s lecture, I wanted to expand on how Neruda’s view of the female sometimes transforms from beautiful to objectification. While some poems had me overcome with feelings of romance, others had me unable to connect with Neruda’s emotional goals because of how much his female lover began to sound like a stoic statue, an object rather than a sentient being.
I think this pairs with Neruda’s frequent use of silence, most often when his female love is the silent one, in one instance “lying in surrender,” or equating a woman to a “toy doll.” These instances make it seem that Neruda views his lover as less of a person, and more of something he can use for satisfaction. Even if not this direct, Neruda frequently refers to the body parts of the woman he loves more than any intellectual or emotional facets of her. At some point I think it is worth deconstructing these poems and separating them from a label of ‘love poetry’ and look at the beliefs they reflect.
Perhaps I am reading too far into these poems, but I do think there is something to be said for poems about ‘love’ that focus a lot on superficial aspects. I enjoyed many of these poems, but at moments struggled to enjoy the entire collection knowing how Neruda viewed women and seeing how his beliefs came through in his craft.
A question: Is there a particular use of nature in these poems that stands out to you? What does it make you feel?
Jon
January 29, 2023 — 4:40 pm
“At some point I think it is worth deconstructing these poems and separating them from a label of ‘love poetry’ and look at the beliefs they reflect.”
To be honest, the question I struggle with is whether you can do both things at the same time… appreciate the poems for what they offer, while also being aware of some of the darker sides (which I think you put very nicely, in saying that “Neruda’s view of the female sometimes transforms from beautiful to objectification.”). What do you think?
Curtis
January 29, 2023 — 5:47 pm
Hi Julia,
Thanks for your blog post this week.
I have had a difficult time understanding how to view some of Neruda’s poems this week as well. I discuss this a little bit in my vlog, but you raise a valid question of when is this “objectification” and when is this a display of a deep appreciation of the feminine/women as such?
I agree with you that the overwhelming passivity of the female characters in his poetry is somewhat unsettling. Why is the woman seemingly a frozen statue in his numerous works?
I like to believe that this is him freezing moments in time, in his mind, to reflect/meditate on or appreciate the female form. This to me, is the interpretation that, for Neruda, saves face.
Yet at its worst, let us say, the passivity of the woman demonstrates Neruda’s infantile desire for women in his life to remain stagnant, still, without any possibility of leaving… This is likely the case, in at least some of his works. His deep disturbance of being alone motivates his immature wish for the women he loves to stay, even if that means (as his poetry might suggest) freezing them in space and time.
Let me know what you think. An interesting conversation, indeed.
Curtis HR
Nandita Parmar
January 29, 2023 — 9:59 pm
Hi!
I read madwomen, but wanted to see how others found Neruda’s poetry! It’s interesting that both poets used strong imagery and nature to convey intense emotions; for Mistral this was largely done to convey a sense of emptiness and loneliness, seemingly as opposed to Neruda’s focus on romance.
Yes, the problem with objectification definitely played a role in my choosing this week’s reading, because I didn’t really want to read about some guy going on about a girl (even though I’m sure his poetry is amazing and incredibly insightful – no offence to Neruda), and also wanted to just relate to the struggles of a woman, which I presumed would be a theme in Mistral’s poetry given the universality of a woman’s experience in the social realm.
Since you brought up the objectification, I’m wondering if you would like Mistral’s work! It focuses a lot on the perceptions and struggles of women!
katherine
January 30, 2023 — 7:46 pm
I chose to read “Madwomen”, so I can’t really answer your question about the use of nature in Neruda’s poems. I chose Mistral primarily because I had heard of her in more detail, but also because I am interested in reading literature written by women because of their unique perspective. From reading your blog post I can see that both poets used intense imagery in the poems. In my copy of “Madwomen” I learned that Mistral once knew Neruda as a young man as a quasi-mentor in the anthology’s introduction. I wonder what influence Mistral had on Neruda?
Mandy
February 1, 2023 — 7:39 am
Hi Julia! I really enjoyed reading your post about Paul Neruda’s poems. mainly, I totally agree with your interpretation of the use of nature within the poems illuminating the intensity of his emotions and experiences. In response to your question, I found the poem titled “leaning into the afternoons” had many strong examples of imagery, with one of the more powerful lines being “The birds of night peck at the first stars/that flash like my soul when I love you” (page 23). These lines I think really illuminate the passion he is feeling through the reflection of stars which really stood out to me! Thank you for your post!