Distilling Grief
Lucy Hutchinson’s Elegies and Alchemy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11492519 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alison Bumke (0000-0001-6770-7623, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 385-392 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Seventeenth Century (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-117X • E-ISSN: 2050-4616 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0268117x.2023.2195760 |
| OpenAlex | W4379535268 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
This paper explores how Lucy Hutchinson used alchemical imagery to illustrate her evolving grief in her Elegies. An early form of chemistry, alchemy was thought to be not only purifying and healing but also deceptive and harmful. Hutchinson’s grief is similarly mutable, she suggests, as she traces her fluctuating emotions in the wake of her husband’s death. Even as she stresses the isolating nature of her mourning, her alchemical language highlights her engagement with other writers, including John Donne. She adapts Donne’s lyrics to suit her own poetic aims, echoing his alchemical language to add nuance to her depictions of her grief
Alchemy · Art · Grief · Literature · Lyrics · Poetry · Psychoanalysis · Psychotherapist · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Philippine History and Culture · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
| Highly cited | No |
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