I don't get her. I tried my best and just don't get her. She is very descriptive and I enjoy the language, but try as I might I can't seem to read into her poetry. when we're talking about it in class I've got a bit more to go on, but when I'm alone... well, there isn't anyone else's thoughts to play off of. However, since this so far has been a totally unsatisfactory posting; I feel obligated to give it the old college try at least once more.
First, a few observations. In the beginning, I was trying to find a common link between the poems. Some unifying bond that the poet might have put down within the collection that might make the title make sense. So I never could figure out what the focus on time and place was about. The geography of the poems was wide and varied. Although the focus is obvious the meaning escapes me. In Crusoe in England the location is given and clearly of some importance since it is included in the title. Just speculation, but I would guess that the emphasis on location is of paramount importance to the reader rather than the speaker. Throughout the poem the speaker, presumably Robinson Crusoe, narrates in a dissatisfied manner. For example: "My island seemed to be/ a sort of cloud-dump. All the hemisphere's left over clouds arrived and hung..." Notice the negative diction. cloud-dump, left over clouds, these words indicate a deep seeded grievance with the situation the speaker finds himself in. I think that the circumstance transcends the location. Just as we sometimes travel abroad to escape our personal delimnas, and we then find the same problems haunting us where ever we go. The same goes for Crusoe. It doen't matter what island he is on, his trouble is that of the soul. A dissatisfaction with himself rather than his surroundings. I think that Bishop is trying to establish this to the reader. Until the self is sufficient, life will never be fulfilling.
There that was my dead level best, and I hope you all enjoyed it.
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