Elizabeth Jennings

Elizabeth Jennings was an English poet born in Lincolnshire on July 18, 1926. At age six, Jennings' family moved to Oxford, England, where she lived for the rest of her life. Although Jennings' poetry was not at first considered to be autobiographical, her later writing became more intimate. Her Roman Catholic faith had a significant impact on Jennings' poetry.

Elizabeth Jennings attended the University of Oxford for her education and opted to pursue a career in writing once she graduated. A Way of Looking, Jennings' debut collection, was released in 1955 when she was 29. It was featured in numerous British periodicals. As the book was given the Somerset Maugham Award that year, Jennings could take a three-month trip to Italy because of the money it brought in. Her journey to Italy significantly impacted Elizabeth Jennings' poetry. Jennings' devotion to Catholicism grew, and her poetry revealed more about her life.

The majority of Jennings' life was spent fighting mental illness. Jennings experienced a nervous breakdown in 1962, which she wrote about in Recoveries and The Mind Has Mountains anthologies. Jennings' poetry had an experimental shift after her breakdown, which earned fewer favorable reviews from critics.

The poets Philip Larkin, Kingsly Amis, and others formed the literary collective known as "The Movement," which Jennings was a member of. The group held that poetry should be straightforward and use conventional conventions. Jennings received a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1992. Her attendance at the occasion raised a commotion in the British press. Jennings' mental and physical health deteriorated as she fell into poverty in the years that followed her CBE. In October 2001, Elizabeth Jennings passed away in a care facility.

Biography of Elizabeth Jennings

Nick Name: Elizabeth Jennings
Real Name: Elizabeth Jennings
Mother Name: Mary Turner
Father Name: Henry Cecil Jennings
Birth Date: 18th July 1926
Death: 26th October 2001
Cause of Death: Natural Causes.
Literary Period: Postmodernism, The Movement
Nationality: English
Famous Works:
- 'Delay'
- 'Mr Grandmother'
- 'One Flesh'
- 'In Praise of Creation'

Relationships of Elizabeth Jennings

Despite experiencing loneliness, Elizabeth Jennings continued to write extensively on relationships. Jennings writes on both romantic and family ties. In her first poetry, "Delay," from 1953, she discussed the difficulties of love. The poem explores how love can be hard to find by using an extensive metaphor for stars.

The speaker in the poem "My Grandmother" from 1961 expresses sorrow over not spending more time with their grandmother while she was still alive. The difficult process of establishing and maintaining relationships is a topic that Elizabeth Jennings explores in many of her poems.

Religion of Elizabeth Jennings

Elizabeth Jennings was a devoted Catholic whose faith strengthened during her 1955 vacation to Italy. Religion became more prevalent in Jennings' poems after his trip to Italy. Jennings investigates the notion of poetry employed to find religion in the poem "World I Have Not Made" (1959). The poem draws parallels between the biblical creation story and other types of creation, such as poetry writing.

Elizabeth Jennings: Poems

'In Praise of Creation,' 'My Grandmother,' 'Delay,' and 'One Flesh' are a few of Elizabeth Jennings' best-known poems. Particularly in these poems, she addresses some of her more prevalent subjects.

'Delay' (1953)

The poem explores the passing of time and the inevitable process of aging. The speaker relates a time when he or she hesitated to take action, resulting in lost opportunity and regret. The poem tackles themes of uncertainty, anxiety, and the passing of time and the idea that life is a perpetual balancing act between risk and caution.

The language is straightforward yet effective, with vivid imagery and a melancholy tone that captures the poignancy of squandered possibilities and the effort to make meaningful, uncertain decisions. ABAB is the rhyming scheme.

'One Flesh' (1966)

The poem is a depressing examination of the gradual breakdown of a committed relationship. The poet uses vivid imagery and straightforward language to depict a couple who have shared a lifetime together but now must deal with the inevitable ravages of aging and death. Strong metaphors and contrasts between light and dark, life and death, and the temporary nature of time are present throughout the poem.

Despite the tragedy of the subject matter, the poem offers a faint sense of hope, suggesting that even in old age, the pair remains together in their love and memories of the past. Most of the rhymes are erratic.

'In Praise of Creation' (1987)

This poem expresses the speaker's belief that God must be present for nature to be beautiful. The speaker considers birds and tigers divine creations based on their behaviors and outward appearance. The speaker believes being religious makes them more receptive to the world's attractions.

The poem contains subjects familiar to Jennings, such as nature and religion. The poem has five quatrains with an ABAB rhyme pattern. The poem does not adhere to a fixed meter.

'My Grandmother' (1961)

The speaker in the poem "My Grandmother" feels guilty for not spending enough time with their grandmother, and the poem touches on both regret and recollection.

The speaker acknowledges refusing to go out with their grandma as a child on one occasion. The speaker tells a story about their grandmother's former antique store. This suggests that the speaker feels guilty because familiar antiques make them think of their grandmother.

The poem is divided into four sestets, or four stanzas, with six lines each. Each verse's point of view alternates between the third and the first person. The poem consistently uses the rhyme system ABABCC.

Conclusion

She was a poet from England born on July 18th, 1926, in Boston, Lincolnshire. Elizabeth Jennings received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Durham University in 2001. the poetry of Jennings wasn't initially considered to be autobiographical. A trip to Italy significantly impacted Elizabeth Jennings' poetry and faith. She was first inspired to start writing poetry while studying at St Anne's College at the University of Oxford.