
In The Child-Stealer, Penelope Shuttle explores the themes of motherhood, loss, and the fragility of the domestic sphere. Through a series of evocative and precise poems, she examines the anxieties that accompany the protective instinct, blending personal experience with mythic and folkloric elements to create a haunting portrait of parental vulnerability.
A collection of poems centered on the tension between maternal instinct and the encroaching forces of loss and mythic transformation. Shuttle navigates the psychological landscape of motherhood, exploring the fragility of domestic stability when confronted by external threats and internal anxieties. The poems utilize a blend of domestic imagery and surrealist metaphor to examine the vulnerability of the child and the protective, often desperate, stance of the parent. The narrative framework shifts between intimate observation and broader, folkloric archetypes to ground the abstract fears of parenthood in tangible, often unsettling, reality.
Readers and critics frequently highlight the precision of Shuttle’s language and her ability to evoke unease through domestic settings. Discussion often centers on the collection's capacity to transform mundane parental fears into haunting, surrealist visions that linger after reading. Many reviewers note the balance between the personal nature of the subject matter and the broader, mythic scope of the imagery employed. The pacing is described as deliberate, allowing the reader to fully inhabit the unsettling atmosphere of each poem. Overall, the work is recognized for its technical control and its unflinching look at the vulnerabilities inherent in human connection.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1983-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford Univ Pr
ISBN-10:
0192119567
ISBN-13:
9780192119568
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