38 Stevie Smith
In This Chapter
Author Background
Stevie was born Florence Margaret Smith (1902–1971). Her father abandoned his wife and two daughters. Her mother turned to her sister, Smith’s Aunt Maggie, for financial and emotional support. Smith lived her entire life in the home that her aunt Maggie provided in Palmer’s Green, a suburb north of London.
After Smith’s mother died and her sister moved to Suffolk, Smith and her Aunt Maggie continued on together. Smith attended London Collegiate to receive secretarial training. She then worked for thirty years as a secretary for the publishing firm C. Arthur Pearson while also writing poetry.
Writing Career
In 1935, she published several of her poems in the New Statesman. At the encouragement of Ian Parsons, a partner of Chatto and Windus, Smith wrote a novel. Novel on Yellow Paper: Or, Work It Out for Yourself (1936) was published by Jonathan Cape to much acclaim, with Smith’s writing viewed as modernist, experimental, and witty.
She published its sequel, Over the Frontier, in 1938, and two collections of poetry before publishing her most famous work, Not Waving but Drowning (1958). This collection’s different and unique voices, emotional extremes, linguistic facility, and voiced detachment and solitude reflect to some extent her personal life. Four years before its publication, Smith attempted to commit suicide. After its publication, she gave public readings to a growing audience.
Besides novels and poetry, Smith wrote short stories, essays, book reviews, and a radio play. She also published a book of captioned drawings, Some Are More Human than Others: Sketchbook by Stevie Smith (1958).
Smith’s work is characterized by its strong autobiographical elements, its experimental use of forms, its adroit use of rhythm, its tight yet almost conversational tone, its dramatic tension between release and restraint, detachment and engagement, and other such binaries, and its touching on themes of death, sexuality, and literary structuralism.
Accolades and Later Life
Stevie Smith received the Cholomondeloy Prize for Poetry (1966) and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry (1967). However, from 1962 to 1967, she became her beloved aunt’s caregiver, a situation that enforced greater and greater isolation upon Smith. Stevie died in 1971 after a prolonged illness.
You can read many of Smith’s poems through the Poetry Foundation’s digital archive. Below are a few recommendations.
“The Grange”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=29912
“The Grange” is a poem by Stevie Smith that explores themes of death, loneliness, and the passage of time. Here are some discussion questions that can help you delve deeper into the poem.
- What might the title “The Grange” signify or symbolize in the context of the poem? How does it set the tone for the poem?
- Who is the narrator in the poem, and what emotions or experiences do they convey? How does the narrator’s perspective shape our understanding of the poem’s themes?
- How does the poem depict the themes of death and loneliness? What specific lines or images illustrate these themes?
- How does the poem address the concept of time and memory? Are there any references to the past or reflections on the passage of time?
- The poem mentions “paradise” and “eternity.” How might religious themes or beliefs be relevant to the poem’s message?
“Here Lies . . .”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=29909
“Here Lies…” is a poem by Stevie Smith that explores the idea of death and the epitaphs (inscriptions on gravestones) of different individuals. Here are some discussion questions to help you engage with the poem.
- What do you think the title “Here Lies…” implies or signifies about the poem? How does it set the stage for the poem’s content?
- How does the poem use epitaphs to reflect the lives of the deceased individuals? What can we learn about them through these inscriptions?
- Describe the tone and mood of the poem. How does it change as the poem progresses, and how does this affect your reading experience?
- Discuss how the poem explores the theme of mortality. How do the epitaphs and the descriptions of the deceased contribute to this theme?
- Analyze the epitaphs of the different individuals mentioned in the poem. What do these epitaphs reveal about each person’s character or life story?
“In My Dreams”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46843/in-my-dreams
“In My Dreams” is a poem by Stevie Smith that explores the theme of dreams and their impact on one’s emotions and perceptions. Here are some discussion questions to help you delve deeper into the poem.
- What might the title “In My Dreams” suggest about the poem’s content and themes? How does it set the tone for the poem?
- How does the poem portray dreams as an escape from reality? What aspects of reality seem to trouble or concern the speaker, leading them to seek refuge in dreams?
- Describe the tone and mood of the poem. How do they evolve throughout the poem, and how do they reflect the speaker’s emotional journey?
- Explore the contrast between the dream world and reality in the poem. How does the speaker’s perception of reality change when they enter the dream state?
- The poem mentions “for my old days” and “for my youth.” How does nostalgia play a role in the poem, and what does it reveal about the speaker’s feelings towards the past?
“My Soul”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46842/my-soul
“My Soul” by Stevie Smith is a poem that explores the nature of the soul and the speaker’s relationship with it. Here are some discussion questions to help you delve deeper into the poem.
- What do you think the title “My Soul” implies about the poem’s subject matter and the speaker’s relationship with their soul?
- How does the poem portray the soul as a separate entity from the speaker? What imagery or language suggests this distinction?
- Explore the use of metaphorical language in the poem. What comparisons and images are used to describe the soul, and what do they convey about its nature?
- How does the poem characterize the behavior and actions of the soul? What does the soul desire or seek, according to the poem?
- Consider any religious or philosophical themes that may be present in the poem. Does it touch upon questions of existence, purpose, or the afterlife?
“Not Waving but Drowning”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46479/not-waving-but-drowning
“Not Waving but Drowning” is arguably the most famous poem by Stevie Smith, and it explores themes of isolation, miscommunication, and the façade people often present to the world. Here are some discussion questions to help you engage with the poem.
- Who is the speaker in the poem, and how does their perspective shape our understanding of the poem’s message? How does the speaker’s relationship with the drowned man affect the poem’s emotional impact?
- The poem can be read both literally and metaphorically. Discuss the literal interpretation of the drowned man and the metaphorical interpretation of the people around him. How do these interpretations intersect?
- Explore the theme of isolation and misunderstanding in the poem. How does the drowned man’s inability to communicate his distress reflect the theme of miscommunication in human relationships?
- The poem suggests that the drowned man wore a “mask.” What does this symbolize, and how does it relate to the theme of authenticity versus façade?
- The poem repeats the line “I was much further out than you thought.” What is the significance of this repetition, and how does it reinforce the poem’s message?
- Discuss the irony present in the poem. How does the irony contribute to the poem’s overall message about the way people perceive and interact with each other?
- How does the poem encourage readers to be more empathetic and compassionate toward others who may be silently struggling?
- Who, if anyone, is responsible for the drowned man’s plight? How does the poem address the collective responsibility of society in recognizing and helping those in need?
“Thoughts about the Person from Porlock”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46848/thoughts-about-the-personfrom-porlock
“Thoughts about the Person from Porlock” by Stevie Smith is a poem that reflects on the idea of interruption and the creative process. Here are some discussion questions to help you engage with the poem.
- In the poem, Porlock is mentioned as a person who interrupts the creative process. What might Porlock symbolize or represent in the context of the poem?
- How does the poem depict the creative process? What does it suggest about the challenges and disruptions that artists or writers may face during their work?
- Discuss the theme of interruption and frustration in the poem. How does the speaker feel about the interruption, and how does it impact their creative thoughts?
- The poem mentions “solitude.” How does solitude relate to the creative process, and how might the presence of Porlock disrupt it?
- Does the poem suggest any resilience or adaptation on the part of the creative mind when faced with interruptions or distractions?
The following discussion and/or writing questions should help you analyze and appreciate Stevie Smith’s poetry more deeply, encouraging thoughtful conversations about its themes and literary devices.
1. How do the differing voices/personas Stevie Smith uses affect themes and images that appear in several of her poems, such as death, failed communication, and the sea?
2. What are Stevie Smith’s views on religion? How do we know?
3. How, if at all, does Stevie Smith use culture or society to frame and define her characters’ identity? Why, and to what effect?
4. Choose one poem and share your personal interpretation of it. What do you think Stevie Smith is trying to convey in this poem? How does it resonate with you on a personal level?
5. Consider the historical and biographical context of Stevie Smith’s life. How might her personal experiences or the time in which she lived influence the themes her poetry?
6. Choose a poem that you find particularly challenging. Are there any lines or elements of the poem that are particularly challenging to interpret? How might different readers arrive at different conclusions about their meaning?
Sources
Poetry Foundation. 2023, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
Robinson, Bonnie J. British Literature II: Romantic Era to the Twentieth Century and Beyond. University of North Georgia Press, 2018. https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/english-textbooks/16/, CCA-SA 4.0
Smith, Stevie. “The Grange.” Poetry Magazine, November 1964, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=29912
Smith, Stevie. “Here Lies…” Poetry Magazine, November 1964, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=29909
Smith, Stevie. “In My Dreams.” The New Selected Poems of Stevie Smith, New Directions Publishing Group, 1988, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46843/in-my-dreams
Smith, Stevie. “My Soul.” The New Selected Poems of Stevie Smith, New Directions Publishing Group, 1988, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46842/my-soul
Smith, Stevie. “Not Waving but Drowning.” The New Selected Poems of Stevie Smith, New Directions Publishing Group, 1988, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46479/not-waving-but-drowning
Smith, Stevie. “Thoughts about the Person from Porlock.” The New Selected Poems of Stevie Smith, New Directions Publishing Group, 1988, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46848/thoughts-about-the-person-from-porlock
Modernism is an early 20th-century movement in literature, the visual arts and music, emphasizing experimentation, abstraction and subjective experience. Philosophy, politics and social issues are also aspects of the movement which sought to change how human beings in a society interact and live together.
Structuralism is a method of interpreting and analyzing things such as language, literature, and society, focusing on contrasting ideas or elements of structure and attempts to show how they relate to the whole structure.
Tone is the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes towards a given subject.
In literature, mood is the atmosphere of the narrative. Mood is created by means of setting, attitude, and descriptions.
A theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative.
Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
