Wendy Cope wrote a villanelle titled "Lonely Hearts" in which today her poem still holds relevance specially to people who live in a big city. Although the setting of the poem is implied to be in North London lonely hearts are everywhere, but most concentrated in big cities, like New York City. After moving into the city I've learned a great deal of people meet through online sites, since they work so much they don't have time to do conventional dating. Back then, "lonely hearts" was a column in the newspaper dedicated for personal ads in which people tried to find romance and casual encounters. Today because of technology advancements, people seeking for romance can post similar ads online via dating websites and Craigslist.
I found this poem a bit humorous because of the diversity of the ads. And the narrator shows to consider every ad as a possible gateway to a lover. The repetition of the line "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" makes her sound desperate as she continues to scan through personal ads. I think this poem says a lot about our human nature. We are all different people with different preferences and values, but we are all in search of affection and companionship. I'll definitely recommend this poem to those who live in big cities and can relate with having a lonely heart.
Great analysis! I really do agree with how dating has become in our new age sort of "futuristic". There is no such thing as really meeting someone in a normal way anymore. Back then, people would meet in normal standards, passing by one another in the street, or enjoying a coffee in the local cafe. Now people meet through chat rooms, dating sites, they meet through bar crawls. All ways which our past generation might have cringed at. This poem really shows how diverse dating has become, and how in ways, it has disconnected us from the reality. We are robots programmed to find love. Dating has turned into ads, not real connection or love. People in a way have become more lonely and empty than ever trying to find someone to connect with. It's quite ironic that we now have all these new ways to meet people, yet it will never amount to the real thing. Loved this poem!
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