Defenestration of Prague (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Susan Howe
- First Published: 1983
- Type of Work: Poetic sequence
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric sequence
- Subjects: Love or romance, Authors or writers, Europe or Europeans, Poetry or poets, England or English people, Eighteenth century, Women, Ireland or Irish people
The Poem
Defenestration of Prague is a complex interweaving of various perspectives and commentaries on the nature of being female in a world of patriarchal institutions. Primarily the poem is about the life and times of Hester (or Esther) Johnson (1680-1728), an Englishwoman who became the mistress of Jonathan Swift (1668-1745), the Irish satirical poet and Anglican bishop. Hester, or Stella, as she was known to Swift, remained Swift’s mistress and housekeeper throughout her adult life. Their relationship was kept a careful secret over the years, which is part of what...
[The entire page is 2321 words long]
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