Reading Entry Averno

In which time period is Louise Gluck’s Averno set?

I believe Averno takes places during WWII. There are some clues that the time period is fairly modern, such as the mentioning of subways and new drugs for depression. Furthermore, Gluck writes of things being said in a German accent or in German while she also writes of war—another clue that the poem can also be seen as a commentary on WWII. On page 63, the narrator also says that she does not want to be burned, which seems to refer to the Holocaust.

What is the tone of this book?

The tone of the book is very contemplative, but also painful and morose. Since it is writing about Persephone and her rape, it has a dark tone to it, even though some of the imagery is very beautiful.

Describe the narrator(s) and what is of value to them?

Throughout the entire poem, the narrator seems to value nature a great deal. It is a common theme throughout the book, and even though some of the nature imagery is used as a metaphor for rape or war, the narrator seems to have an intimate relationship with nature. The narrator also seems to value the innocence of childhood, since the loss of Persephone’s innocence seems to cause deep pain for the narrator. The narrator also seems to value life and love, and the idea that one must make the best of their life before they die. At times, the narrator seems to feel that she lacks love or does not want to live, but I believe she makes it clear that one must try to find the means to value their own life and those they love.

What kind of relationship does the Persephone narrator have with the earth in Gluck’s work? Cite at least one passage to back up your argument.

It seems that the Persephone narrator makes it clear that she once had an intimate and positive relationship with nature before the rape. After the rape, the relationship the narrator once had with nature is dead, and she no longer belongs to the earth. For instance, she writes, “When death confronts her, she has never seen / the meadow without the daisies. / Suddenly she is no longer / singing her maidenly songs / about her mother’s / beauty and fecundity. Where / the rift is, the break is. / Song of the earth, / song of the mythic vision of eternal life— / My soul / shattered with the strain / of trying to belong to the earth—“

To what does the final verse on page 16 refer?

The final verse on page 16 says, “returns home / stained with red juice like / a character in Hawthorne—.” This verse refers to the fact that Persephone eats the pomegranate before she is released from Hell. It also could refer to the fact that she is stained from the rape with blood.

Cite a passage in the text where the narrator second-guesses her own voice by reconsidering the way in which to describe something. Why would an author show such a thing?

One passage in which the narrator does this is: “When I was a child, I suffered from insomnia. / Summer nights, my parents permitted me to sit by the lake; / I took the dog for company. / Did I say “suffered”? That was my parents’ way of explaining / tastes that seemed to them / inexplicable: better “suffered” than “preferred to live with the dog.” Through doing this, the narrator seems to show more about her parents and what they thought about her childhood. The narrator shows that her parents influence the way that she talks and thinks about who she is, but as she gets older, she realizes that some of what they said about her had to do with their own insecurities and embarrassments.

What are some key differences between Part I and II of the book; how is Persephone the Wanderer figured differently in each?

Some of the key differences between Part I and Part II are that Part I seems to be more about life, death, and love, with an intimate relationship with nature, whereas Part I seems to show more of a loss in faith of nature, along with a commentary on war, government, and the contemporary happenings of the time. In Part I, Persephone the Wanderer seems more didactic, telling the story of the myth and debating over what really happened. It also seems to be harsher on Persephone, saying that she is having sex while we suffer the winter. In Part II, Persephone is dead and the poem is more about Demeter, Persephone’s mother. Sex does not concern us here, and the violence of the earth and war is more prominent.

How do you understand the ancient myth differently after reading Gluck’s interpretation?

Gluck’s interpretation seems to give the Persephone myth a very modern significance. The myth becomes a story of every girl who has been subjected to rape, and it allows the reader to relate to the story on a very human and personal level. I understand the myth more as a story of a terrible thing that could happen to any young woman.