"Changing Skies": The Roles of Native and American Narratives in the Politicisation of Seamus Heaney's Early Poetry

£6.99

Symbiosis 6.2
Author: Michael Parker
Pages: 30

'Changing Skies: The Roles of Native and American Narratives in the Politicisation of Seamus Heaney’s Early Poetry' by Michael Parker, explores the significant shifts in Seamus Heaney's poetic voice during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Originally published in Symbiosis: a Journal of Anglo-American Literary Relations, this essay examines how local political events in Northern Ireland, combined with cultural influences from the United States, catalyzed the politicisation of Heaney’s poetry. Parker delves into the interplay between native and foreign narratives, highlighting the profound impact of American political and cultural developments on Heaney's work. This scholarly analysis is essential for readers interested in literary criticism, political poetry, and transatlantic literary relations.

Essay Excerpt

"That Seamus Heaney’s poetry underwent fundamental changes at the close of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s has been widely acknowledged, though some of the key literary and political factors behind these changes have yet to receive the attention they deserve. Undoubtedly the most telling factor in the politicisation of Heaney’s poetry was the local political narrative, such events as the Derry civil rights march of October 1968, the Burntollet march in January 1969, the street killings in Derry and Belfast in August 1969, the Falls curfew of July 1970 and the introduction of internment without trial in August 1971. However, ‘foreign’ cultural influences also played a significant role in this process, not least as a source of analogues through which Heaney could address the painful native text."