The World's Wife is a collection of poems by Carol Ann Duffy published in 1999. The World's Wife is Carol Ann Duffy's first themed collection of poems and is a set text on the AS Syllabus of English Literature in the UK, which was first published in 1999. The collection takes characters, stories, histories and myths which focus on men, and in Duffy's renowned feminist way, are twisted to look at the woman behind the man.
The anthology
The anthology has the following poems: "Little Red Cap", "Thetis", "Queen Herod", "Mrs. Midas", "from Mrs. Tiresias", "Pilate's Wife", "Mrs. Aesop", "Mrs. Darwin", "Mrs. Sisyphus", "Mrs. Faust", "Delilah", "Anne Hathaway", "Queen Kong", "Mrs. Quasimodo", "Medusa", "The Devil's Wife", "Circe", "Mrs. Lazarus", "Pygmalion's Bride", "Mrs. Rip Van Winkle", "Mrs. Icarus", "Frau Freud", "Salome", "Eurydice", "The Kray Sisters", "Elvis's Twin Sister", "Pope Joan", "Penelope", "Mrs. Beast", "Demeter" In some poems, the poems look at the story of the man from the woman's perspective, such as in Mrs. Aesop, whilst others change the story into one about women such as the Kray Sisters. There are also twists in the poems whereby characters like "Sinatra" are referred to, whereas Duffy is actually referencing Nancy Sinatra, rather than the expected Frank Sinatra. Many of the poems are taken from the historical setting which they come from and brought into a modern day light, such as Mrs. Faust, based on the Christopher Marlowe play, Doctor Faustus, which was originally written in the 16th century. In Mrs. Faust, Duffy includes modern day fads such as face-lifts and credit cards.
Controversial aspects
In the anthology, Carol Ann Duffy has taken many risks in making the poems very controversial. From the beginning, and throughout the majority of the collection, the poems are very feminist, attacking many aspects of masculinity. Many argue that Duffy is on a fine line between being radically feminist and being anti-male. However, others may argue that this is nothing but a (perhaps, well deserved) literary backlash against the dominance of men in literature, particularly since many of the poems in the collection focus on characters from a fictional or literary background. Some even claim that some poems are anti-militant feminist as some poems present the female characters in a bad way. The poem based on Myra Hindley is also controversial - many people would react badly to a poem backing what she did and proclaiming her innocence. Again, it balances delicately on the line between acceptable and unacceptable.
Duffy's life
Many of the poems reflect Duffy's life. The poem Little Red Cap is seen to be reflective of her relationship with the poet Henri. Also, there are many references to childbirth, children and many feelings towards men, which could have been influenced by her own experiences. The collection can be seen as a step to adulthood as in the poem Little Red Cap the character is portrayed as learning from her mistakes and makes amends. Although some may see her poems as all just a part of feminist propaganda it can be argued that Duffy exemplifies the different roles of women from different perspectives. "The Devil's Wife" is a prime example of a poem in which the notion of female evil is identified.
