Dilemmas and developments: Eavan Boland re-examined

In 'The Woman Poet: Her Dilemma' (1986-7), the Irish poet Eavan Boland argu ed that women poets were obstructed on the one hand by traditional ideas of femininity and poetry, and on the other by the demands of separatist femin ism. In 'Dilemmas and Developments: Eavan Poland Re-examined' Sarah Maguire argues that in recent years women poets have clearly achieved greater conf idence as a result of changes in their audience. However, the underlying di lemma facing a woman poet - that of the tension between the demands of femi ninity and the role expected of a post-Romantic lyric poet - continues to r emain unresolved.