Listening to Words and Silence

Chapter 3.8 Listening to Words and Silence The Poetry of Elizabeth Jennings Jean Ward, Search for more papers by this author Jean Ward, Search for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Wolfgang Görtschacher, Search for more papers by this authorDavid Malcolm, Search for more papers by this author First published: 04 December 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118843215.ch3.8 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary This essay explores the intersections of language and silence in Elizabeth Jennings's poetry, drawing attention to the way that her poems call upon the reader to "listen," both literally to the sounds of words and of the world, and metaphorically, to the silences between words and in the world. The prevalence of ekphrasis in Jennings's work, and her interest in visual art, is part of the effort to reflect on what can be "heard" in the silence of the seen. The potential of silence to be an expression of communion, with other people and with God, is revealed in many poems. But equally powerfully, it can carry the implication of terrifying aloneness, the apophatic sense of the utter absence of God. A Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Poetry, 1960–2015 RelatedInformation