The Amorous Unicorn

Louise H. Girard was Head of Book Selection, University of St. Michael's College Library, Toronto.

Whenever someone tells me that they have spent an evening reading a book of poetry, I am always astounded because poetry is the literary form that is the least open to this type of reading. It has always seemed to me that if one is really seeking to understand a poem, the integration of form and content that is peculiar to poetry requires that a certain amount of reflection be devoted to each poem. Reading a few poems is about all that I would presume to undertake in one evening.

Of course, when one is reviewing a book of poetry, one reads differently, but, strangely enough, it is because of my reluctance to read poetry quickly that I enjoyed this particular book of poetry as much as I did. There is no doubt that in reading this book relatively quickly one loses some of its depth, but on the whole this is a book that can be read somewhat productively in even one sitting. This is due in part to the variety of subject matter, in part to the variety of approaches, and in part to the tone of the poetry, all of which form part of the whole.

In this book, Florence Vale deals with subjects such as life, love, friendship through an imagery that is mostly natural (animals, trees, flowers, the sun, etc.). Her approach is sometimes erotic, sometimes lewd,sometimes humourous, sometimes serious, and she sometimes combines more than one approach within the same poem. The drawings that accompany the poems reveal a similar range of approaches and subject matter.

The predominant tone of the poems and the drawings is impersonal. The importance that Florence Vale attaches to being impersonal is revealed quite clearly in the poem entitled “Mulberry Bush”:

Tear the heart away

become a mulberry bush

spitting pure silk

safely impersonal.

This impersonal element restricts reader involvement. We are not drawn deeply into the inner life of the personal poet but only catch glimpses of it through the presentation of certain incidents in her life. These incidents for the most part are presented from a very wry perspective. It is as if the personal poet were afraid to trust us. But then, perhaps that is part of the meaning.