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A Double Life Essay

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In Howards End we see the outer and inner worlds – the prose and the passion, disconnected, but still existing within the same space. Although the material Wilcoxs’ and cerebral Schlegels seemingly come from different worlds, their alignment is ultimately a matter of personal connection. Yet, just about sixty years prior in Karolina Pavlova’s A Double Life we see the same two worlds existing in separate spaces entirely – prose in the waking life, poetry within Cecily’s dreams. One explanation for this is that of Konstantin Askakov, in his introduction to Pavlova’s novella. For him, the prose represents the “outer,” frivolous emptiness of everyday high society; the poetry, the voice of Cecily’s “soul.” Cecily’s dreams then represent an inner …show more content…

On one level, sectioning the novella in terms of prose and poetry serves an organizational purpose. To this end, it is easy to identify where the day ends and the dreams begin. Yet, what’s perhaps more striking is how this organization posits prose and poetry in an opposition as you would day and night. With the exception of the male poet that enters the narrative, prose belongs in the day, poetry: night. What’s more: the prose and poetry sections differ in content as much as they do in structure. While the prose sections are characterized by material concerns (appointments, money, social status), the poetry sections explore a deeper meaning and passion that isn’t present amidst the prose. This is perhaps so much so that when Cecily does start to feel something “strange and inexplicable” (41), she does not recognize it in her waking life. In this way, Pavlova also posits what poetry and prose represent in opposition – the “incorporeal region” (52) and the stuffy, outer world Cecily is brought up in. The majority of the novella reinforces the divorce between these two spheres by taking on the general structure of prose in the waking life and poetry within Cecily’s dreams.
Yet, there is an instance worth noting where the established form breaks down. A male poet is invited to recite poetry to Vera Vladmimirovna and her company. He is spoken in terms of being “poor,” “inexperienced,” (55) …show more content…

Suddenly his previous characterization no longer stands; suddenly it is clear he was described as an outcast because he has access to this higher meaning in a way his audience might not. It’s worth again making explicit that the previously established form of the novella breaks down here. Not only does poetry briefly inhabit the waking life, but so too does the higher meaning it has come to represent. But what’s important here is not only that the narrative structure is broken here, but who breaks it: the male poet. One explanation for this is a matter of difference in class. That is, the poet has access precisely because he did not grow up under the circumstances of high society, while Cecily’s social status renders her incapable of having depth. Yet, the version of Cecily we see in her dreams does not support this reading; even in the presence of poetry she retains her social identity, and is even warned of her “swaddled” (51) upbringing. Rather, the relevant distinguishing feature between Cecily and the poet is that he is a man. While male poets may be seen as lower class or even unrespectable, women who pursue poetry are seen as “pitiable,” and as having a “dangerous illness” (60). In short: poetry is not an option, and thus not even a consideration for women. There is perhaps something to be said that the women are shown

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