From Insider Higher Ed (9/28/12), an interesting podcast about something we know very little about.
Professor M. Och
ARTH 114 and ARTH 115: Introduction to Western Art, University of Mary Washington
From Insider Higher Ed (9/28/12), an interesting podcast about something we know very little about.
I think it’s really cool that there is still so much out there waiting to be discovered. Even just a short love poem can give us so much insight to a time so long ago. The poem shows us that even some of the most powerful noble women had secret love affairs, and that poems were often the way of communication. I do wonder where she learned Latin, as the professor mentioned that not many women had access to that type of education. It’s very interesting to hear about something that was recently found, that opens our eyes to more information about more noble figures of the time.
The information found in this poem proves why historic writings must be persevered. The amount of knowledge from one poem can change the way society looks at the past. In this case, it educates people on a past society and how women did not typically have the skills needed for writing.
I think it is very interesting how these things can go undiscovered for so long and suddenly pop up. I would like to read the poem myself. I think a lot more can be learned about society from people’s private writings. It allows them to express their true feelings, because there was no fear of judgment by others.
Being able to read people’s personal writings allows us to take a closer look into society because their true feelings were revealed. Poems were one of the most common means of communication because many of these love affairs that went on were secret.
I really enjoy being able to look at such personal pieces of history such as this poem. It brings history to life. History is my favorite subject, and my favorite part of it is imagining the stories and lives of individuals, such as Elizabeth’s. We get a sense of her personality through her writing, and the subject–love–also makes it relatable. We may not all be the most powerful woman in England, but we can understand her emotions and purpose behind her writing.
It is amazing what information can be learned from literature that is discovered. The story of this poem just makes you think what other hidden literary works are out there waiting to be found. So much history can be unraveled through the discovery of works such as this one. Elizabeth’s story is something we would have never know about had the work not been found. It is also amazing to think that she was a skilled poet when very few women were writing at that time. Discoveries like this one do not come often, but when they do they are something to be cherished.