Tony Harrison and the Language of Authority
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Don Paterson
Tony Harrison and the Language of Authority
‘And so it seemed to me then that the greatest gift I could acquire for myself was the gift of articulation, the treasure of eloquence, the power over words, the power of words.’
So wrote Tony Harrison in his essay ‘Facing up to the muses’ in the Bloodaxe Critical Anthology of his work, explaining the origins of his strong belief in the power of language, and particularly poetry. Tony Harrison, though he has written for both television and the theatre, has insisted that he only ever writes poetry and that through this poetry he gives a voice to those who do not have the eloquence to speak for themselves. In this essay I will explain the ways in which Harrison’s poetry gives a cultural authority to the working-class voice. Being a man who was part of both the literary and the working-class worlds, but also alienated from both, particularly by his language, Harrison’s poetry speaks for both sides. Harrison demonstrates his mastery of classical poetry by his use of classical forms and allusions, but subverts these forms for his own purposes, namely, to demonstrate that the working-class voice can have eloquence too. His mastery of both kinds of language demonstrates his authority to speak for both sides. However Harrison also not only challenges authority through his political poetry but also challenges the accepted ‘language of authority’, demanding why it should be confined to ‘Received pronunciation’ and the language of Oxbridge graduates. Harrison’s poetry, however, most strongly reveals his own ‘language of authority’ since it is impossible to ignore. The eloquence, anger, invective and simplicity of his words reveal an authority to speak for those who do not have voice and show to be true his opinion that ‘language could take on anything and everything.’ Harrison’s belief in the power of language stems from his working-class upbringing and Grammar School and university education. Being a
Don Paterson
Tony Harrison and the Language of Authority
‘And so it seemed to me then that the greatest gift I could acquire for myself was the gift of articulation, the treasure of eloquence, the power over words, the power of words.’
So wrote Tony Harrison in his essay ‘Facing up to the muses’ in the Bloodaxe Critical Anthology of his work, explaining the origins of his strong belief in the power of language, and particularly poetry. Tony Harrison, though he has written for both television and the theatre, has insisted that he only ever writes poetry and that through this poetry he gives a voice to those who do not have the eloquence to speak for themselves. In this essay I will explain the ways in which Harrison’s poetry gives a cultural authority to the working-class voice. Being a man who was part of both the literary and the working-class worlds, but also alienated from both, particularly by his language, Harrison’s poetry speaks for both sides. Harrison demonstrates his mastery of classical poetry by his use of classical forms and allusions, but subverts these forms for his own purposes, namely, to demonstrate that the working-class voice can have eloquence too. His mastery of both kinds of language demonstrates his authority to speak for both sides. However Harrison also not only challenges authority through his political poetry but also challenges the accepted ‘language of authority’, demanding why it should be confined to ‘Received pronunciation’ and the language of Oxbridge graduates. Harrison’s poetry, however, most strongly reveals his own ‘language of authority’ since it is impossible to ignore. The eloquence, anger, invective and simplicity of his words reveal an authority to speak for those who do not have voice and show to be true his opinion that ‘language could take on anything and everything.’ Harrison’s belief in the power of language stems from his working-class upbringing and Grammar School and university education. Being a
Bibliography: Tony Harrison, Selected poems (London: Penguin Books, 1984) Tony Harrison, V Tony Harrison, A Cold Coming (Newcastle: Bloodaxe Books Ltd, 1991) Tony Harrison, The Mysteries (London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1985)