
H.D. & Bryher: An Untold Love Story of Modernism takes on the daring task of examining the connection between two queer women, one a poet and the other a historical novelist, living from the late 19th century through the 20th century. When they met in 1918, H.D. was a modernist poet, married to a shell-shocked adulterous poet, and pregnant by another man. She fell in love with Bryher, who was entrapped by her wealthy secretive family. Their bond grew over Greek poetry, geography, ancient history and literature, the telegraph, and telepathy. They felt their love-and their true identities existed invisibly- a giddy, and disturbing element to their relationship; they lived off and on in distant geographies, though in near continual contact. This book exposes why literary history has occluded this love story of the world wars and poetic modernism.
This work investigates the obscured romantic and intellectual partnership between modernist poet H.D. and historical novelist Bryher, questioning why their relationship remained largely absent from traditional literary history. Susan McCabe, a professor of English and creative writing, utilizes archival research, personal correspondence, and literary analysis to reconstruct the lives of these two figures. She argues that their bond, defined by shared interests in antiquity and telepathy, served as a vital, albeit hidden, foundation for their creative output during the tumultuous era of the world wars.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars and critics recognize this work as a significant contribution to the recovery of queer narratives within the modernist canon. Readers frequently note the depth of the archival research and the clarity with which the author navigates the complex social constraints of the early 20th century.
Page Count:
418
Publication Date:
2021-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190621249
ISBN-13:
9780190621247
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