"Hol ynowh."
- Author/Editor
- Bullón-Fernández, María.
- Title
- "Hol ynowh."
- Published
- Bullón-Fernández, María. "'Hol ynowh.'" Accessus 7, no. 1 (2022): n.p.
- Review
- Bullón-Fernández's essay is another response to the previous essays in this issue of "Accessus." She begins by acknowledging the (then) recent Omicron variant of Covid at the end of 2021 that was thwarting the hope for the end of the pandemic. Thinking of the "fast-moving cycle of hope and despair" that was part and parcel of the pandemic, Bullón-Fernández asks whether we can find hope and healing in John Gower's work. She suggests, "The essays reveal that Gower's hope is not naïve and that the healing is not always or unambiguously successful; it is just 'ynowh.'" Bullón-Fernández then tracks the intersections of the work of Salisbury, McShane, Runstedler, and Bychowski, suggesting these essays advocate for poetry's ability to heal the community. She asserts that Rogers's and Grinnell's start from positions of doubt in the hope the CA expresses. Bullón-Fernández sees all six essays recognizing "the 'Confessio' does not offer easy answers or remedies to sickness." She turns to the end of the poem, offering a brief close reading to show Gower's recognition of the multiple afflictions of earthly love. She concludes, "A sense of peace and hope comes from accepting that the cure will likely make us feel just 'hol ynowh'." [JGS. Copyright. John Gower Society eJGN 41.2.]
- Date
- 2022
- Gower Subjects
- Confessio Amantis