 |
| a shift in view |
Who writes in authentic voice? How many of us write through the patterns of two thousand years of "patriarchal authority"? After all, "who polices questions of grammar, parts of speech, connection, and connotation? Whose order is shut inside the structure of a sentence?" As George Eliot put it, there were women "who congealed into the literary mold men made for them." (quotes are from Susan Howe in My Emily Dickinson)
I play around a lot with my own voice and style, not just in an effort to develop an authentic voice based within my personal individuality but also to tap into what I feel is a voice that spirals out of the feminine principle.
I am exploring a variety of perspectives on the essence of feminine voice, from Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice to Leonard Shlain's The Alphabet Versus The Goddess, and from the work of Marion Woodman to those of Emily Dickinson, Helene Cixous, and others.
If you have thoughts or references to share, would love to hear them! Write On!
Hmm... interesting though, not having read the works you cite, I'm not sure if I write in an authentic voice or not. Actually, in my fiction, I think I write in various voices. On my blog, it's just me.
ReplyDeleteVicki, this is currently one of my many side interests. Thanks for your comment. :-)
DeleteThought provoking! After all, "who polices questions of grammar, parts of speech, connection, and connotation? Whose order is shut inside the structure of a sentence?" - Love that! For myself, writing helps me purge. I can't say whose voice, some mine, some collective of creatures/situations incountered - but it is much more eloquent than mine - I love to cuss!
ReplyDeleteRenate, I would agree that when I allow a flow of Other then I'm more eloquent, too… ;-) And I was giggling over your love of cussing; we are such opposites, yet I consider you an incredible gift and admire you so much.
Delete