The Poetry of Language

Desdemona's research proposal

There are few things in life that I enjoy more than reading. When you mention reading to most people they immediately think of books. I like books. A lot of people nowadays have taken to reading books on the internet but I have no intention of joining them anytime soon. I look forward to the ritual of examining the cover of a book in order to decide which one I will buy. Sometimes when I go out to a bookshop I will find more than one version of a book. When that happens I line them all up in front of me and feel the covers to see which one feel the most comfortable between my hands. I am not ashamed to admit that I am partial to a hardback.

I enjoy stories. They do not have to be very long. Some of my favourites are only a few lines long. As a teenager I discovered the poetry of authors such as D. H. Lawrence. He wrote witty little poems where he raged against things he hated or which he found confusing. I am attracted to the poetry of language. Most people think poetry is to be found only in verse. Prose can be just as poetic. Some stories have a wonderful hypnotic rhythm to them. It's easy to find yourself reading them over and over again.

Poetry is not always found in books. I enjoy reading people. I can sit on a bench near the river and make up stories about people as I see them go about their business. As a middle child I survived the rough and tumble of family life by learning to read signs such as body language. I am fascinated by the way people walk, dress and how they speak. London is such a culturally diverse city that I cannot always understand the language that people are speaking but I can make up what I think they are saying by reading their body language. I enjoy opera and dance theatre from all over the world in spite of the fact that I do not speak a word of Italian (the language of most operas).

I have chosen to study a number of artists both livin and deceased. The living artists are interesting because they are here now, experiencing many of the same things that I am going through. Studying artists who are deceased allows me to interpret the work of my chosen artists as I like. The are not here to object to or take offence if I misunderstand the meaning of their work.

I have chosen the following artists.

Josephine Baker (deceased)

This was the original queen of reinvention. She went from dancing as a plantation girl in a banana costume to sold out concerts where she dressed as Mary, Queen of Scots and sang Ave Maria. She was buried with full French military honours even though she ws born in the USA.

Zora Neale Hurston (deceased)

This author was a well-known folklorist and sometime anthrologist who grew up in the all-black Florida town of Eatonville, Florida. She liked to poke her nose into other people's business and collected the stories of people's lives. Every now and again she would claim them as her own. Her choices were not always popular but she was dificcult to ignore. She was larger than life in every sense of the word.

Mona Hatoum

London based artist. She was born in Lebanon and completed her studies in London. She trained as a sculptor and is a well known as a performance artist and is a former Turner Prize nominee.

Dorothea Smartt

This was the first artist in residence of Brixton Market. She has perfomed at several poetry festivals worlwide including Poetry Africa in South Africa. She is also an active member of the Poetry Society whose current president is;

Jo Shapcott

Well known London poet who has won several poetry prizes. She does a lot of writing on the Welsh borders and enjoys taking on several guises in her poetry. One of her favourite characters is a mad cow.

Maya Angelou

This is one of the elder stateswomen of poetry and writing. She has tried her hand at many things including acting and singing as well as writing a variety of books including a recipe book. She has performed at a variety of locations and occassions including the inauguration of Bill Clinton.

Sarah Johnson

This is a young, hip poet and performance artist. She likes to put her stamp on othe people's work. She is currently embroiled in a legal battle over her version of a poem called The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Her words are said to be indecent and she is unable to perform it in the United States without getting arrested.

This project will allow me to indulge my love of poetry and delve deeper into the subject. I am planning to join the poetry society and attend some literary festivals. I am not sure how I am going to get myself on the guest lists but I intend to have fun trying.