Elliptical

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2002

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes (1926)

In his first collection of poetry The Weary Blues, Hughes speaks about race more overtly than does Mullen in “Elliptical.” At the same time, he speaks of an “I” as well as a “they,” a similar use of first and third person found in Mullen’s poem. In “I, Too,” Hughes shows contrast between the speaker sitting away from company at dinner today but being allowed to remain with company tomorrow, suggesting the patience for social change in society. “Elliptical” also shows contrast throughout the poem, yet Mullen’s ending seems less optimistic than that of “I, Too.”

“Resume” by Dorothy Parker (1926)

In this poem, the focus is on the tension between wanting to live and wanting to die, desires that are thwarted because the means do not guarantee success. While the specific content differs from that of “Elliptical,” the form uses consistent punctuation at the end of every line except the final line. In this poem, the punctuation mark is the semi-colon, which suggests a pause longer than that of a comma but not as long as a period. There is time during this pause for both the speaker of the poem to determine their next course of action as well as for the reader to digest the content. The ellipsis in “Elliptical,” while in use to replace words, also allows for a pause in the speaker’s discourse as well as for the reader to perhaps fill in the blanks.

“Sleeping with the Dictionary” by Harryette Mullen (2002)

From the same collection as “Elliptical,” this poem has a similar form with long lines and a prose-like style of writing. In it, Mullen describes her intimacy with the dictionary and how she has paper ready “to record the meandering of migratory words” (Line 14), suggesting a wide array of words, including perhaps the word “elliptical.” In “Sleeping with the Dictionary,” Mullen finishes the sentences in this poem, and these sentences provide some context for how the speaker, and Mullen, might approach finding inspiration for new poems.

“Wipe That Smile Off Your Aphasia” by Harryette Mullen (2002)

Also from the collection Sleeping with the Dictionary, this poem features a partial idea, or fragment, per line, such as, “as horses as for / as purple as we go” (Lines 1-2), reminiscent of the incomplete sentences in “Elliptical.” The word “aphasia” in the title refers to a condition in which a person is unable to formulate language because of a brain injury. Like “Elliptical,” the readers can fill in the blank spaces as they choose and read each line separately and as a whole in order to obtain different meanings.

“My Shot” by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2015)

In this lyrical work from the Broadway musical Hamilton, Miranda, similar to Mullen, has fun with language, from his pun, or double meaning, of the word “shot” to his rhyming of “anarchy” and “panicky” (Lines 51-52). In the lyric, Frenchman and military officer in the American Revolutionary War Lafayette has trouble formulating the word “anarchy,” saying “onarchy” instead (Line 50). His grasping at the English word relates to the beginning of thoughts in “Elliptical” that someone might have trouble finishing. In “Elliptical,” the lack of formulating a complete thought is less about learning a new language and likely more about expressing uncomfortable truths.

Further Literary Resources

“A Conversation with Harryette Mullen” by Farah Griffin, Michael Magee, and Kristen Gallagher (1997)

This interview from the University of Pennsylvania website, also found in the summer 1998 journal Combo #1, took place a few years after Mullen’s fourth collection of poetry Muse and Drudge was published. In the interview, the three interviewers ask Mullen about Texas, publishers, other influential writers, her sense of play with language in Muse and Drudge and in general, as well as a plethora of other topics. This interview is not found in The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be, discussed below.

“Sleeping with the Dictionary by Harryette Mullen” by Christine Hume (2003)

In this review as part of “The Constant Critic” section of Fence Digital, the reviewer discusses the language play of Mullen’s collection, going so far as to note Mullen’s ability to wittily create new language patterns and connect them to sociocultural critiques. Hume mentions examples from the collection to show the different ways Mullen manipulates the English language, mentioning the Oulipo influence as well as the concept of opposition in her works.

The Feminist Avant-Garde in American Poetry by Elisabeth Frost (2005)

This novel frames Harryette Mullen’s work alongside works from a diverse array of female-identifying poets throughout the 20th century, including Gertrude Stein, Susan Howe, Mina Loy, and Sonia Sanchez. Frost examines what it means for these authors to be feminist and avant-garde, framing the poets’ use of language through the lens of feminist politics. Chapter 5 is devoted to Mullen using the term “hybrid traditions.”

Looking Up Harryette Mullen by Barbara Henning (2011)

Through postcard correspondence, poet Barbara Henning interviews Harryette Mullen on the visual influences and personal and sociopolitical inspiration for her poetry, particularly her Sleeping with the Dictionary collection of which “Elliptical” is a part. One of Mullen’s influences is Oulipo, a French group known for the writers’ use of constrained writing techniques that yield patterns, such as the use of palindromes, words that read the same way forward and backward, or influence from other mathematical or sequential principles.

Many Subtle Channels: In Praise of Potential Literature by Daniel Levin Becker (2012)

Receiving a grant to travel to Paris, Becker was able to study the ideas and methodology of the Oulipo group and share them in this book, becoming the second American to join the group. He divides this book into the present, the past, and the future, ultimately sharing his personal story along with a historical look at the group and a detailed examination of the games that intrigue the Oulipo members and why they utilize them. For example, the idea of freely writing paralyzed writer Georges Perec, and developing constraints that seem arbitrary to others provided guidance for him and others.

The Cracks Between What We Are and What We Are Supposed to Be by Harryette Mullen (2020)

In this collection, readers can become acquainted with Mullen’s critical essays, both shorter and longer works, from her examination of poetic form in her own collection Muse & Drudge to her analysis of particular authors and works, including Sylvia Plath, Will Alexander, Beloved, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, to her discussion of issues of identity and race in the larger domain of African American poetry. Also included at the end of the collection are several interviews and conversations, such as “I Dream a World,” her talk with Nibir K. Ghosh.

Listen to Poem

M. Ayodele Heath performs Harryette Mullen’s “Elliptical”

M. Ayodele Heath is an American author of spoken-word poetry and fiction. His 2011 performance of Mullen’s “Elliptical” is part of the multivolume work 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History.