Outside History
In ‘‘Outside History,’’ the Irish poet Eavan
Boland touches on themes characteristic of
much of her work. In this poem, which first
appeared in a volume of the same title, and in
the longer poetic sequence of which it is a part,
Boland discusses her sense of estrangement from
Irish history. Throughout the poem’s seven stan-
zas, Boland’s feelings of isolation from both cul-
tural and literary history are detailed. The tone is
full of sorrow and remorse, and the theme of
death is prevalent. At the same time, the poem,
like many of Boland’s works, evokes a sense of
common humanity, or at least a desire for that
ideal. Boland, a feminist, has discussed the long-
held view in the world of Irish literature that the
terms ‘‘woman’’ and ‘‘poet’’ are mutually exclu-
sive, and her work consequently emphasizes the
plight of outsiders and repeatedly conveys notions
of exclusion and isolation. Her work is therefore
often critically examined through this feminist
lens, and ‘‘Outside History’’ lends itself to such
an interpretation. The poem was originally pub-
lished in 1990 inOutside History: Selected Poems,
1980–1990and was more recently made available
inNew Collected Poems, published in 2005.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHYEavan Aisling Boland was born on September
24, 1944, in Dublin, Ireland. The youngest of the
five children of Frederick Boland, a diplomat,
209EAVAN BOLAND
1990