Simbolisme in die poësie van Sheila Cussons

Abstract

Research for this study, Symbolism in the poetry of Sheila Cussons, was done on Symbolism as a late nineteenth and early twentieth century art form. Symbolism originated as a reaction against Realism and Intellectualism as an extension of Positivism and Naturalism. This form of art represents an extremely wide field. The main aim of the symbolists was to move beyond the real world into a world of ideas. The "dream" was used as a medium to reach the idealistic world. The symbolists used symbols and mythical figures to attain to this supernatural, higher reality. Numerous examples of this can be found in the poetry of Cussons. The symbolists used figurative elements of speech in their poetry, because they wanted to suggest something else. Cussons also uses this in her poetry, for example the image of the mirror which is used as a medium of introspection by Cussons and the symbolists. Symbolist poets were egocentric and had an obsessive involvement with poetry. Cussons does away with egotism and uses a first person narrator in relation to the Divinity. She regards the poet as someone with specific creative abilities. She glorifies God by means of her poetry. A prominent characteristic of Symbolism was mysticism. The symbolists wanted to portray a specific intensity and wanted to convey ideas by means of suggestion. For Cussons there is a relation between the search for another reality and realm of the mystical. To achieve this utopia, transfiguration is necessary. Free verse dominated symbolistic verse. The symbolists regarded the musical quality of sound and words as very valuable. They used a so-called "private language" in order to be inaccessible to the general reading public. Cussons's poetry is sometimes inexplicable, but not inaccessible to the experienced reader. Her poetry is characterized by free verse and free rhythmical and metrical patterns. Her poems contain alliteration, assonance and word repetition. There is an interesting use of typography in many verses. Her poems are also characterized by the unusual construction of sentences, the uncommon use of adjectives, verbs and neologisms. With regard to the above, the assumption can be made that Cussons can be typified as a symbolist but she is not a symbolistic poet in the true sense of the word.