Tadpoles, I need your help.
I'm doing a module at university this year called Poetry and Emotion, which is super fascinating, and I was thinking I might take advantage to ask my (very cool) tutor if I can write my assessed essay on Joanna and her writing. I think I could bring her a few sheets of lyrics (maybe Cosmia, Does Not Suffice, Baby Birch), and tell her that to me, Jo is a poet in a lot of ways. Hopefully on seeing my enthusiasm she'll accept that I can write on the subject. I'm pretty confident she'll at least hear me out.
The issue is, I want to show that I'm taking this seriously so I feel like I should go to her with an idea of what I want to write about, and this is the point where I'm getting a bit stuck. Ideas about how she treats the notions of femininity and motherhood creep into my head but neither are really fully formed as ideas or arguments, and I'm going to have to be really on top of things since there's next to no critical material to work from. I was also considering maybe asking how Joanna transmits affect (emotional response) through her language, but again this seems to be couched in rather vague terms.
So I was basically wondering if any of you had any ideas on a great essay that could be written on Jo? I know my stuff, and I'm pretty good on close reading, plus I'm analysed all of her lyrics so much that I've got some of the work done already. So does anyone know how i can further one of these essay titles or maybe another angle to look at her music that might be interesting, and maybe more unique?
I'd be most interested in looking at: Emily, S&D, Only Skin, Cosmia, Baby Birch, Go Long and Does Not SUffice, because I feel these are all incredibly rich songs to draw from and comment on, but I'd obviously be willing to chance that up if a good question arose.
So basically I desperately want to write on Newsom, but I just need a little help formulating my question. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas you guys have, I hope someone can help.
Tom