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Hilda Doolittle Biography
Hilda Doolittle was born in 1886 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of six children and the only daughter. Her father, Charles, was a prominent professor of astronomy, first at Lehigh University but then at the University of Pennsylvania where he moved his family in 1896 to live in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Her mother, Helen, was a member of the Moravian Church, and Doolittle’s first few years in Bethlehem amongst the Moravian community were formative for her intellectual development.
Her exacting father sought to raise Doolittle as a scientist; however, she never had an aptitude for math and preferred the artistic nature of her mother. Doolittle attended Bryn Mawr college in 1905. She dropped out after about a year’s worth of studies as she had not performed well in all of her classes, including math and English. The personal relationships that she formed during this time of her life were essential to her development as a writer. She had met modernist poet Ezra Pound when she was 15 years old, and at Bryn Mawr, she formed friendships with other modernist poets such as William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore.
Doolittle had five brothers; despite her father's interest in crafting her into the next groundbreaking scientist, Doolittle sought praise and attention from her artistic mother. Doolittle wanted to attend art school but was forbidden by her father.
Fig. 1 - Portrait of American poet Hilda Doolittle, also known as HD.
After leaving college, she published a few short stories in Philadelphia papers and magazines. She was briefly engaged to Pound, but the engagement ended when he moved to Europe. Doolittle began a relationship with Frances Josepha Gregg, an art student. In 1911, Doolittle moved to England with Gregg and Gregg’s mother.
In England, Doolittle renewed her friendship with Pound, who helped introduce her to many of the literary modernists working in London. There, she met Richard Aldington; Doolittle, Pound, and Aldington would go on to define the Imagist movement in poetry. Doolittle and Aldington married in 1913, though they would separate after the stillbirth of their first child in 1915.
Imagism is a poetic movement of the 20th century in which poetry was written in a direct manner using sparse, economic language. The goal of the Imagists was to craft sharp, clearly-defined images without using flowery language or conventional structure.
In 1918, Doolittle moved in with Annie Winifred Ellerman, pseudonymously known as Bryher, and the two would live together until 1946 and remain lovers until death. In 1919, Doolittle gave birth to her daughter, Frances Perdita Aldington, whose father was actually Cecil Gray, an English composer. In 1938, Aldington and Doolittle officially divorced. In the 1920s, Doolittle moved into a house on Lake Geneva with Bryher and Bryher’s husband, Kenneth Macpherson. Bryher and Macpherson adopted Doolittle’s daughter Frances.
Also during this time, Doolittle became interested in psychoanalysis. She spent time in Vienna being analyzed by Sigmund Freud. She was terrified at the prospect of a second World War due to the pain she suffered during the First World War—her brother died in the conflict, her husband was left traumatized which led to the dissolution of their marriage, and she believed that her shock at the atrocities of war led to her baby with Aldington being stillborn.
Freud encouraged Doolittle to write about her experiences and feelings as part of her psychoanalytic treatment. These books would later be published as Bid Me to Live (1960) and Writing on the Wall (1944).
During World War II, Doolittle moved back to London with Bryher. The two decided not to live together, however, and Doolittle moved back to Switzerland where she suffered a mental breakdown in 1946. Doolittle spent the majority of the rest of her life in Switzerland, making brief visits to the United States. In 1961, she had a stroke, and she died in Zurich.
Hilda Doolittle’s Career
Doolittle’s career as a writer began with the short stories she published in Philadelphia in her early twenties. When she moved to London she began writing poetry more intensely. Her relationships with Pound and Aldington influenced each other in their development of Imagist poetry. In 1912, she became an editor of the newly-formed Poetry magazine. She published three of her first poems in the 1913 issue of the magazine.
In 1916, Doolittle published her first poetry book, entitled Sea Garden. She became the assistant editor of the publication The Egoist, replacing her husband Aldington as he served in World War I. In the 1920s and 1930s, Doolittle published three series of novels; her work explored classical literature and examined the patriarchal lens through which stories were written. Her first collection, Magna Graeca, consisted of two novels: Palimpsest (1921) and Hedylus (1928). She then wrote the Madrigal cycle, which consisted of four novels that weren’t published until many years after her death that dealt with autobiographical details about Doolittle’s own life and her relationships. In the 1930s, she published novellas as part of the Borderline cycle.
Doolittle was also involved in film. She was part of the 1927 POOL Group, which included Bryher and Macpherson; the trio wrote, directed, and acted in the film Borderline (1930). They also established a film criticism magazine known as Close Up, which Doolittle frequently wrote for. She also published memoirs such as Writing on the Wall (1944) about her experience with psychoanalysis.
Back in London during World War II, Doolittle continued writing poetry, memoirs, and prose. She published numerous poems throughout the 1950s and was awarded the American Academy of Arts and Letters medal in 1960, becoming the first woman to win the award.
Fig 2 - Plaque outside of the home of Doolittle where she lived in London—Doolittle spent much of her life living outside of the United States, most of it split between England and Switzerland.
Works by HD
Hilda Doolittle is regularly known by the moniker HD, an abbreviation of her name. This abbreviation is said to have come from Ezra Pound signing her name once as HD, which Doolittle then adopted.
The story goes that Pound signed her name for her on a document and added the word 'Imagiste.' Doolittle, however, frequently relayed different versions of these events, and she often would use other pseudonyms when publishing her poems and books.
Books by Hilda Doolittle
Doolittle published many books throughout her lifetime. These include her prose pieces that came from her three cycles, Magna Graeca, Madrigal, and Borderline. A few of her more famous books, such as HERmione (1981) and The Gift (1982) as they contained autobiographical information about her relationships with women and also the revelation that Aldington was not her daughter Frances’s father.
Poems by Hilda Doolittle
Published separately in magazines along with numerous poetry collections, Doolittle wrote many poems throughout her lifetime. Her first poetry collection was Sea Garden (1916) in which she set her poems amongst a lush natural landscape in order to express her poetic and personal identity. Her subjects ranged though, as with The Walls Do Not Fall (1944), her poetry collection that confronts the atrocities of the First and Second World Wars. Helen in Egypt (1961) used Greek and Egyptian myths and history as a basis for her poetry collection that examined the patriarchal norms that dominated the myths and stories of the past.
Hilda Doolittle Quotes
“Words were her plague and words were her redemption”1
This quotation from her book HERmione, not published during her lifetime, reflects Doolittle’s approach to writing. Like many artists, when she couldn’t produce writing to her standards it was an agonizing, uninspired process, but when the inspiration was there, writing became her salvation. Particularly in response to the World Wars, which affected her deeply, Doolittle found an outlet in her writing.
“At least I have the flowers of myself,
and my thoughts, no god
can take that;
I have the fervour of myself for a presence
and my own spirit for light;”2
This poem recounts the tale of Eurydice. Here, Doolittle turns the expectations of the reader regarding Eurydice’s fate by showing her inner narrative. Despite the machinations of the Gods and Orpheus’s ultimate failure, Eurydice’s own essence cannot be ruined or stolen.
Fig. 3 - Bust of Helen of Troy, one of Doolittle's frequent subjects as a symbol of women.
Why would Doolittle choose classical mythology as a frequent subject? How can the women of classic myths represent the struggles of women in the modern world?
Hilda Doolittle’s Writing Style
Doolittle’s writing style was avant-garde for the time period in which she was writing. She was one of the three primary poets to codify what it meant to be an Imagist writer, namely that the subject must be treated directly, words must be used as economically as possible, and verses were to be written to evoke a musical rhythm.
In addition to classic Imagism, Doolittle employed free-verse in her poetry. Her poems often did not follow a set rhyme scheme or meter, rather flowing from line to line without regard for formal structure. Her direct approach to poetry showed both her background as an American, in her word choice and in her descriptions, as well as her point of view on writing as a woman.
Her poetry is characterized by its intensity and an often detached tone. She was inspired by Greek myths, and much of her inspiration for the subjects of her poem came from the poetry of Sappho. Her later work changed thematically to reflect the values that she had developed: her extensive research and work on psychoanalysis, particularly her time spent with Freud, and a deep interest in the unconscious mind. Her later work became more personal and more concerned with revelations brought on by her psychoanalytic work.
Hilda Doolittle’s Legacy
Doolittle’s legacy is an important part of feminist literary history. She underwent a period of rediscovery in the 1970s, years after her death, as literary critics began to challenge prevailing notions about the male-dominated fields of acclaimed literature. Her own writing, which critiqued and examined patriarchal structures in society and literature, was reexamined as scholars sought to expand their knowledge of modernist writers beyond just the likes of Pound, Eliot, and Aldington.
Thanks to this rediscovery, Doolittle’s legacy is established as a leading figure in the Imagist and Modernist literary movements of the 20th century.
Hilda Doolittle - Key Takeaways
- Hilda Doolittle (1886-1961) was an American poet, author, and filmmaker.
- She was a leading Imagist and Modernist poet in her rejection of formal poetic structures and use of direct, sparse language.
- Doolittle was known as HD, and her career spans five decades in which she wrote numerous poetry collections along with prose and memoirs.
- Doolittle was fascinated by psychoanalysis, and much of her later work deals with themes regarding the unconscious.
- Doolittle is known for her poetry that addresses classical myths and the patriarchal norms they uphold by reinterpreting them to challenge these patriarchal ideas.
1. Hilda Doolittle, HERmione, 1981.
2. Hilda Doolittle, “Eurydice,” 1982.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Hilda Doolittle
What was Hilda Doolittle known for?
Hilda Doolittle (1886-1961) was known for her influence on the Imagist and Modernist literary movements. She was a leading figure in Imagist poetry in addition to her numerous works of prose. She is noted for her feminist interpretations and critiques of classical myth.
Is Hilda Doolittle a modernist poet?
Doolittle is considered a Modernist and Imagist poet. She wrote without concern for the formalist structures of the past. Instead, she was interested in the Imagist technique of treating subjects directly, sparsely used language, and the creation of clear images.
Where did Hilda Doolittle live?
Doolittle grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania before moving to Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. As an adult, she spent the majority of her life in Europe, living for many years in England and Switzerland.
Was Hilda Doolittle an imagist?
Hilda Doolittle is considered a leading member of the Imagists. Her association with Ezra Pound and Richard Aldington led the three of them to define what Imagist poetry is. Her early poetry in particular is Imagist; her later poetry outgrew some of the qualities of Imagism.
What awards did Hilda Doolittle win?
Hilda Doolittle won the American Academy of Arts and Letters award for poetry in 1960, a year before her death. She was the first woman to win the prestigious award.
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