The Young Woman of Beare (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Austin Clarke
- First Published: 1929
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Nature, Religion, Christianity, Women, Youth, Ethics, Sixteenth century, Ireland or Irish people, Pleasure
The Poem
“The Young Woman of Beare” is based on a tenth century Irish poem, “The Old Woman of Beare.” In both poems the woman recollects her love of the world and of men. Though both are presumed to be dramatic monologues, neither poet indicated the identity of the person who does not speak; again, presumably, the other person does not share the speaker’s passions and may even disapprove. In the tenth century original, the speaker is at the end of her life, defiantly rejecting the admonitions she has heard from clerics. In “The Young Woman of Beare,” the speaker...
[The entire page is 1091 words long]
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