I have been inspired by Manuel Puig's polyphonic style to try a multi narrative structure for a poem . I like the fact that there can be different perspectives and information dropped in, and the fact that the reader has to work out how he/ she is going to read the actual piece - does he follow the asterix when it appears, or does he choose to finish the whole poem and then read the info in the footnotes.This is what ,for me, made Kiss of the Spider Woman a work of art within itself, not just a novel. Lemarque wrote a paper which gave me the grounding for this theory of aesthetic appreciation being more than just belles lettres, text or content.Below is the first polyphonic piece I have written.
With light step she glides, waltzing
through high, chandelier-lit halls.
White chartreuse lace floats, cloudlike
beneath cascades of liquid gold satin;
pearl buttoned, swanlike gloves
cover slender arms, as
unadorned by jewels,
a simple posy of early buds
rests in one small hand.
Shining dark ringlets catch the light,
reflections of her soft, shy smile
of dreamlike anticipation.
In satin and lace she appears,
an illusion of sophistication, shimmering,
like chiffon caught on a breath;
for here, under the flickering half lights
amongst society's shadowlands
a ladychild seeks her future.
Curator:
This is our finest example of an early Nineteenth century evening dress.
The estimated date is circa 1820 made for a young society debutante. *
The material is gold satin, slightly torn and carefully darned;
the lace is soiled from sweeping over the ground. This is detachable and would be washed and reattached.
Donated to the museum by J. Thornton, in 2000
received with thanks
I watch the white preservation gloves
clinically hover over the garment; the dress,
shabbly and lifeless on the wooden table
yearns for her breath, her form,
her lightness of movement.
Harsh lights of the present,
but in the shadows, a gentle whisper;
she turns her head, chin held high,
that same eager smile
on young rouged lips.
she glides by , magical, spirited,
beautiful in living gold and lace;
maybe, there, she met her future
as, standing here, I imagine
her past.
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*Public assemblies were a way for young couples to meet a potential partner from outside their immediate
social circle. One purchased a subscription for a series of balls (which included supper) or for the entire
season.The Upper Rooms, designed by John Wood the younger, were opened in 1771. While the exterior was plain, the buildings were beautiful on the inside. Five enormous crystal chandeliers hung over the dancers in the ballroom, casting their golden candle light over the assembly. Tall ceilings provided air circulation and second story windows afforded privacy. Dances were prescribed by the master of ceremonies, who presided over the ball and who decided on which dances would be performed and in what order. A gentleman could not reserve more than two dances with a lady for the evening, and when he did, it was understood that he was interested in her. If a lady reserved more than two dances with a gentleman, she was considered “fast.”
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/dancing-in-regency-bath-upper-assembly-rooms/
