Italy in W. H. Auden's Poetry

오든의 시와 이탈리아

This paper aims at tracing the appearance of Italy in W. H. Auden's poems. Auden summered on Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, between 1948 and 1957. In the process of ten years of contact with Italy, Auden' poetry developed out of Italy, and contributed to the world's picture of Italy by English poets. In the early part of his stay, Auden was fascinated with Italy and found a source of vitality for composing his poems. But Auden's initial view of Italian culture evolved from extolling its virtues to a more critical one weighing its losses and benefits. The happiest mood is reflected in "In Praise of Limestone", in which the ground itself becomes a symbol of Eden. "Ischia" introduces the real landscape of the island. Auden partly admits the darkness of the island in the aspects of its past history and legends, but the poem is still mainly about praising the beauty of the island and the comfort that it gives to the poet. In "Goodbye to the Mezzogiorno" the negative side of the island's life comes to light. There was something in the setting, warm and beautiful as it was, that no longer suited Auden's temperament and Auden bids farewell to his Mediterranean period. His view of Italy is a restricted and detached one seen through the eyes of a successful Anglo-American poet. Auden's cosmopolitan character often is defined such terms as "the Wandering Jew," "alien" or "stateless Auden". But our reading of his poems dealing with Italy reveals his true characteristics which can not transcend his evolving views.