submissions

PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? Lyrics

16 years ago

I can't help but think of the Joseph in the Genesis account who was a high-ranking officer in Potiphar's household, and was propositioned by Potiphar's wife. There are a number of literary references in the album, but all of them skew just a little bit (use of poetic license) from the original story, perhaps a different interpretation of the original, as Joseph rejected the woman's advances in the Bible... PJ uses Joseph or Joe quite a bit in this album to represent a male figure, even when she's referring to a character whose name we know (Seymour Glass from Salinger's "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in the song "A Perfect Day Elise"), so maybe I'm way off on this one, but the idea of passion and relationship and uncertainty seems to lend itself (maybe errantly) in my mind to that account.

submissions

PJ Harvey – The River Lyrics	16 years ago
I feel like there's a reference here I'm forgetting. The symbolism of a river and water is a very strong one. I'm too lazy to go read it all right now, but I want to say I remember there being similar imagery in Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" or in Knowles' "A Separate Peace." Any takers?

submissions

PJ Harvey – The Garden Lyrics

16 years ago

Has NO ONE considered the Biblical reference to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? Original Sin, Fall from grace, Paradise Lost... they're all very basic religious motifs, and this album is full of literary references. This was one that was very clear to me. cgnjny, I liked the idea of Jesus' last night in Gethsemane, but he had no sins to think of. He was perfect. The idea of passion, lust, sin and loss of innocence seem to point clearly to a very intriguing (and more poetic than Biblically accurate) interpretation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Another of the literary references I've noticed in this album, along with "A Perfect Day Elise" "The Wind" "Angelene" "Catherine", etc.

submissions

PJ Harvey – Catherine Lyrics

16 years ago

The St. Catherine reference is a good one, and very clear, however (as I mentioned in a comment on "The Wind") I can't help but make connections between PJ's Catherine and the Catherine of Brönte's Wuthering Heights (with no explanation for the obscure "De Barra" name, but this is also not explained by St. Catherine). The longing and tumult and distress experienced by that Catherine in her relationship with Heathcliff seems to parallel nicely with the character and the story PJ has portrayed in this song as well as The Wind, but this one seems as if it could be from the male perspective (Heathcliff) and possibly an apocryphal (or alternative) ending, if you will, in relation to Wuthering Heights. There are many literary references in this album.

submissions

PJ Harvey – A Perfect Day Elise Lyrics

16 years ago

Thank you, Stentorian, for mentioning Salinger. The entire song is based around "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." It's very clear if you've read the story, even at a passing listen, that this song mirrors the events in Salinger's story. The "Joe" in the song appears as a character throughout the album, but seems to be the general representation of the male figure, as the name of the character in "Bananafish" was Seymour Glass. There are a number of women in the story, as well, and it seems she could be referencing or quoting any number of them in the song. Seymour's (or Joe, in the song) mother and wife are annoyed or upset with him, but the little girl in the story is the character with whom he has the best relationship before he kills himself that afternoon. This is another of the literary references in this album, (some of the other apparent ones [IMO] are Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" and Brönte's "Wuthering Heights" as well as the Bible).

submissions

PJ Harvey – The Wind Lyrics

16 years ago

Another literary reference, in my opinion. The torture and images of the children's voices and the chapel call to mind Brönte's "Wuthering Heights" and the tumultuous relationship between Catherine Earnshaw (or Linton) and Heathcliff, not as straightforwardly as Kate Bush's song of the same name, but it calls to mind the same story. I like the idea of St. Catherine as well, but I feel like the imagery of the woman in a chapel and on a hill is also reminiscent of Brönte's story and is one of a number of literary references in this album (notably Hawthorne, Salinger and the Bible and other more obscure ones I'm sure I've yet to notice).

submissions

PJ Harvey – Angelene Lyrics

16 years ago

Has no one considered Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"? A number of her songs on this album have literary references, and I wouldn't be surprised if they ALL do and they're just more vague than the handful I've recognized. The Scarlet Letter was "A" for Adultery, associated with prostitution (or at least a similar act), etc, and the character's name here is Angelene. The character's name in the book is not Angelene, but the letter A appears throughout the book in different places, at one point initially (and incorrectly) interpreted by some of the characters to stand for "Angel" but the theme of adultery and the color red appear throughout the book. This is the first of quite a handful of literary references in this album.

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