Ir-Romanticizmu femminili: qari mill-gdid ta’ Dun Karm

Abstract

In my paper I attempt to break down a barrier that restricted the interpretation of the most prominent Romantic poet in the Maltese literary context. My rereading of some of Dun Karm’s poems goes against the conventional perception that always construed the national poet as the paradigm of the local Romantic era and, as a consequence, as the anathema of a feminist approach vis-à-vis the female characters he depicts in his poetry. Often, critics classify authors into rigid categories that hardly leave any possibility for reinterpretation; however, Thompson, in “Errors and Labors: Feminism and Early Shakespearean Comedy” inquires how even Shakespeare, considered by some as a chauvinist playwright, can also be assessed in this new light. The freeing from the liberal ideology that ironically fosters prejudices towards poets like Dun Karm could pave the way for considering the innovative idea that a male poet’s expression may also be “feminine.” Mellor in Gender and Romanticism, introduces the concept of “feminine Romanticism” and suggests that this does not pertain exclusively to female writers; she explains how poets like Keats expressed feminine feelings in his verses. As Shakespeare and Keats are being reread, I propose the same for Dun Karm.