Syndande kärlek och helgat hat : Uttryck av identitet och avvisande av kristendomen i Renée Viviens dikter

This essay is a literary analysis of some of Renée Vivien’s poetry written in the early 20th century. It looks at how Vivien has used religious symbolism in the form of a rejection of Christianity, an exploration of its homophobia and a longing for the poetess Sappho’s ancient world to explore and express her own sexual identity. It shows how she expresses her love and longing for women and how that is a stark contrast to the way she rejects men and their, in her words, brutish nature. It also explores how she views herself as part of a minority group and how she rejects the homophobia she experienced. Furthermore, the essay shows how the Christian Catholicism that Vivien met in her life shaped the way in which she understands and expresses herself in her poetry and how it shaped the language she used to describe herself and her sexuality.