DOCSLIB.ORG

INSTABILITIES in CONTEMPORARY BRITISH POETRY Also by Alan Robinson

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
INSTABILITIES in CONTEMPORARY BRITISH POETRY Also by Alan Robinson INSTABILITIES IN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH POETRY Also by Alan Robinson POETRY, PAINTING AND IDEAS, 1885-1914 Instabilities in Contemporary British Poetry ALAN ROBINSON Lecturer in English University of Lancaster M MACMILLAN PRESS ©Alan David Robinson 1988 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended), or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33-4 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1988 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTO Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Robinson, Alan, 1957- Instabilities in contemporary British poetry. 1. English poetry--20th century-­ History and criticism I. Title 821 '.914'09 PR601 ISBN 978-0-333-46769-5 ISBN 978-1-349-19397-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-19397-4 For Elaine, with love Contents Preface ix Acknowledgements xi 1 James Fenton's 'Narratives': Some Reflections on Postmodernism 1 2 Theatre of Trope: Craig Raine and Christopher Reid 16 3 Waiting for the End: Absences in the Poetry of Michael Hofmann 49 4 History to the Defeated: Geoffrey Hill's The Mystery of the Charity of Charles Peguy 62 5 The Mastering Eye: Douglas Dunn's Social Perceptions 82 6 The Civil Art: Tom Paulin's Representations of Ulster 100 7 Seamus Heaney: the Free State of Image and Allusion 123 8 Declarations of Independence: Some Responses to Feminism 161 Notes 209 Index 230 vii Preface This collection of essays makes no claim to be a comprehensive survey; my sins of omission are obvious, but my necessarily restricted focus is, I hope, not invidious. My aim has been to consider a representative selection of established and emerging writers whose work demands attention both for its own excellence and for what it reveals about the directions contemporary poetry is taking. The refusal to impose a uniform coherence is deliberate: as an attempt to avoid the blinkered monomania that may result from the desire to justify an extended critical thesis, but also as a response to the radical destabilisation of British poetry at present. For, as in the mid-seventeenth century when English poetry underwent a diaspora which accompanied the ideological turmoil of the English Revolution, so in the late 1970s and 1980s the fragmentation of the political consensus in Britain is paralleled indirectly and complexly in the divergences of contemporary poetry. The very 'idea of Britain' or Britishness has been undermined by Irish poets such as Seamus Heaney and Tom Paulin and by the Scottish poet Douglas Dunn, all of whom resist what they regard as England's continuing political and artistic hegemony over their nations. 1 Their rejection of appropriation corresponds to the widespread refusal of women poets to accept as 'natural' and hence unquestionable their subordination to the existing patriarchal order in society. Nationalism, class- and gender-consciousness converge in opposition to the Establishment's marginalisation of 'the Other'. The analytic self-awareness in this sexual and regional politicisation parallels an increasing self-consciousness in stylistic matters, evident both in technical experimentation and in ethical introspection about the pragmatic role of the writer's artful 'representations' in the social construction of the self. This increasing theoretical sophistication (evident in the impact on several poets of varieties of Poststructuralism) will, for better or worse, surely come to be seen as one of the characteristics of late­ twentieth-century poetry. The increasingly self-referential word­ play of Tom Paulin's poetry (like that of Paul Muldoon) recalls the late-Structuralist concern with literary jouissance and the decon­ structionist fascination with linguistic slippage. The avoidance of ix X Preface closure and the semantic absences in poets such as James Fenton and Michael Hofmann likewise draw their Postmodernist styles into proximity with deconstruction. Even older poets have not emerged unscathed from the theoretical ferment: the historio­ graphical anxieties of Geoffrey Hill's long poem on Charles Peguy recall recent discourse theories and the 'metahistory' that became prominent in the 1970s, while Seamus Heaney's latest collection, The Haw Lantern, toys with deconstructionist theory, presumably cajoled by the promptings of Heaney's academic friends at University College Dublin, and at Harvard, where he has held since 1984 the Boylston Chair of Rhetoric and Oratory. To avoid oversimplifying these complex ideological disruptions and stylistic instabilities, I adopt a diversity of critical perspectives, drawn from heterogeneous areas of cultural theory; my own ideological position is, I believe, implicit but not obtrusive. The formalism of the first two chapters, which by and large treat their subjects on their own terms, is subsequently drawn under scrutiny, interrogating the validity of purely stylistic analysis and of literary aestheticism through a dialogue with poets who hold diametrically opposed views on political engagement. While each essay is self-contained, nevertheless certain thematic interests recur if the chapters are read in juxtaposition, giving the book a cumulative structure. The first three essays examine some of the characteristics of 'Postmodernist' poetry, offering some reflections also on its political complexion. The following essays on Hill, Dunn and Paulin share a common interest in historiography: the concern about (mis-)representation that Hill shares with Dunn leads into the alternative, non-Establishment histories proposed by Dunn and Paulin. The cultural nationalism of the latter two marks an affiliation with Heaney, whose preoccupation with the writer's moral responsibilities strongly recalls Hill. The collection concludes with an essay that addresses more general questions about women poets' self-perceptions, their perception of their social position and how these bear on the problematic of a specifically feminine poetics. The result is a project which, I hope, raises important questions about the direction not just of British poetry but also of British society. Lancaster ALAN ROBINSON Acknowledgements I am grateful to Keith Hanley and Ray Selden, who each read the first draft of one chapter, and to Claude Rawson and Jenny Mezciems for their editorial stringency and kindly advice with my essay on Geoffrey Hill. Any remaining errors are, of course, my own. It is a pleasure to thank also Mick North and Bernard O'Don­ oghue, for obtaining scarce poetry magazines; Michael Hofmann, for lengthy discussion of his work; Ann Pasternak Slater, for use of her draft gloss of Marina Tsvetayeva, and Craig Raine for forwarding proofs of Seamus Heaney's The Haw Lantern. I am indebted to the University of Lancaster for a term's study leave in spring 1987 that enabled me to make substantial progress on the typescript; to the staff of the University Library for their efficient and good-humoured assistance; to Maureen Jex, who typed the first chapter; and to the healthy scepticism of my first­ year seminar groups and lecture audiences at Lancaster on whom ideas in several of these essays were first inflicted. I have been fortunate in having Frances Arnold and Valery Rose as my editorial team at Macmillan; their help has been much appreciated. My greatest debt, as ever, is to my wife Elaine, who created the time in which this book was written and encouraged me throughout. The last word goes to Perdita, whose growing enthusiasm for her books has survived Daddy's unreasonable absorption in his, and to Chloe, whose imminence was a spur to activity and whose arrival was so considerately timed. I should like to thank the following for kindly granting permission to reprint copyright material: the extracts from Selected Poems (1983) and The Incident Book (1986), by Fleur Adcock, are reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press; the extracts from Standing Female Nude (1985), by Carol Ann Duffy, are reprinted by permission of Anvil Press Poetry Ltd; xi xii Acknowledgements the extracts from Terry Street (1971), The Happier Life (1972), Love or Nothing (1974), Barbarians (1979) and St Kilda's Parliament (1981), all by Douglas Dunn, are reprinted by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd; the extracts from The Memory of War and Children in Exile: Poems 1968-1983, by James Fenton (copyright © 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 James Fenton), are reprinted by permission of the author and the Salamander Press, Edinburgh, Ltd; the extracts from North (copyright© 1975 Seamus Heaney), Station Island (copyright © 1984, 1985 Seamus Heaney) and The Haw Lantern (copyright © 1987 Seamus Heaney), all by Seamus Heaney, are reprinted by permission of Faber and Faber Ltd and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.; the extracts from Collected Poems, by Geoffrey Hill (copyright © 1959, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1983, 1985 Geoffrey Hill), are reprinted by permission of the author and of Andre Deutsch Ltd and Oxford University Press, Inc.; the extracts from Nights in the Iron Hotel (1983) and Acrimony (1986), both by Michael Hofmann, are reprinted by permission of Faber
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Post-War English Literature 1945-1990
    Post-War English Literature 1945-1990 Sara Martín Alegre P08/04540/02135 © FUOC • P08/04540/02135 Post-War English Literature 1945-1990 Index Introduction............................................................................................... 5 Objectives..................................................................................................... 7 1. Literature 1945-1990: cultural context........................................ 9 1.1. The book market in Britain ........................................................ 9 1.2. The relationship between Literature and the universities .......... 10 1.3. Adaptations of literary works for television and the cinema ...... 11 1.4. The minorities in English Literature: women and post-colonial writers .................................................................... 12 2. The English Novel 1945-1990.......................................................... 14 2.1. Traditionalism: between the past and the present ..................... 15 2.2. Fantasy, realism and experimentalism ........................................ 16 2.3. The post-modern novel .............................................................. 18 3. Drama in England 1945-1990......................................................... 21 3.1. West End theatre and the new English drama ........................... 21 3.2. Absurdist drama and social and political drama ........................ 22 3.3. New theatre companies and the Arts Council ............................ 23 3.4. Theatre from the mid-1960s onwards .......................................
    [Show full text]
  • Neuroscience and Connection-Making in Contemporary Poetry. Helen Mort
    ‘Something else, then something else again’: neuroscience and connection-making in contemporary poetry. Helen Mort PhD Thesis The University of Sheffield English Language and Linguistics March 2015 1 Acknowledgements I am indebted to The University of Sheffield for awarding me a University Prize Scholarship that enabled the completion of this PhD thesis over three years. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my patient and supportive supervisors, Dr Joanna Gavins and Professor Adam Piette in the School of English. Thanks also to Dr Tom Stafford in the Department of Psychology for his support and many useful reading and research suggestions and to both the School of English Work in Progress group and the Cognitive Poetics Reading Group which provided forums for discussing new ideas. I am also indebted to all the poets who agreed to be interviewed as part of this thesis and gave up their time so generously, not just in the interview process but throughout the whole project and to everyone who has read or commented on the blog I kept throughout my research ‘Poetry on the Brain’. Thank you to my friends and family, particularly Ben, Alan, Jill, Ed, Kathy, Andrew, Grace, Mike, Jim, Ruth, Iain and Ian, all of whom have helped out in vital ways. And a special thanks to my dad, Andy Mort for his meticulous proof reading skills. Last but not least, thank you to all the members of Derbyshire Irregulars Climbing Society for helping me keep my feet on the rock and my head out of the clouds. 2 Abstract This thesis establishes a dialogue between neuroscience and contemporary poetry, based on Bakhtin’s principle of dialogicality (1981) and presents a novel approach to combining two disciplines usually regarded as separate.
    [Show full text]
  • Ted Hughes: a Bibliographical Supplement 1996-2013
    1 Ted Hughes: A Bibliographical Supplement 1996-2013 A Supplement to Ted Hughes: A Bibliography1946-1995, by Keith Sagar and Stephen Tabor, Mansell, 1998. Keith Sagar There are no doubt many errors and omissions in this supplement. However, its publication in electronic form means that these can easily be rectified at frequent intervals. I hope that readers who notice any errors, omissions or new material will notify me - [email protected] , so that the supplement can be continuously updated. It has proved impractical to retain the continuous numbering of sections D and J. Keith Sagar 2013. [A hint to computer beginners. An essential aspect of any bibliography is a full index. The computer, however, has a built-in index for all documents. Click Edit at the top of the page. In the drop-down menu click Find. Type in the name, title, word or phrase you are looking for. By pressing Next, this will take you to every occurrence of it in the supplement.] 2 Contents Acknowledgements 3 A. Books, pamphlets and broadsides by Ted Hughes 4 B. Books, pamphlets and broadsides edited by or with 16 contributions by Ted Hughes C. Contributions to periodicals. 23 D. Translations 28 E. Interviews and comment 38 F. Recordings 40 G. Broadcasts 43 H. Miscellaneous (including dust-wrapper, record sleeve and programme notes, and ephemera) 44 I. Settings 45 J. Books and articles about Ted Hughes 46 Books 46 Parts of books 56 Articles in periodicals 61 Theses 71 Online publications 72 Obituaries 80 K. Manuscipts 81 L. Productions of Plays by Ted Hughes 83 3 Acknowledgements I am greatly indebted to the following for their unstinting help: Isabel Fernandes, Terry Gifford, Chen Hong, Olwyn Hughes, Claas Kazzer, Lorraine Kerslake, Tetsuji Kohno, Joanny Moulin, Ann Skea, Marina Tsvetkova, Mark Wormald.
    [Show full text]
  • HUGHES, TED, 1930-1998. Ted Hughes Papers, 1940-2002
    HUGHES, TED, 1930-1998. Ted Hughes papers, 1940-2002 Emory University Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library Atlanta, GA 30322 404-727-6887 [email protected] Descriptive Summary Creator: Hughes, Ted, 1930-1998. Title: Ted Hughes papers, 1940-2002 Call Number: Manuscript Collection No. 644 Extent: 94.25 linear feet (191 boxes), 13 oversized papers boxes and 5 oversized papers folders (OP), 1 oversized bound volume (OBV), and AV Masters: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes) Abstract: Papers of British poet laureate Ted Hughes including correspondence, writings by Hughes, materials relating to Sylvia Plath, writings by other authors, subject files, printed material, photographs, personal effects and memoriabilia, and audiovisual materials. Language: Materials entirely in English. Administrative Information Restrictions on Access Special restrictions apply. Letters written by Janos Csokits and Daniel Weissbort are restricted and require the permission of the copyright holder in writing in order to be examined. Letters from Seamus Heaney are closed to researchers for the lifetime of Carol Hughes. Access to selected additional letters are restricted for a period of twenty-five years (2022) or the for the lifetime of Carol Hughes, whichever is greater. See container list for specific restrictions. Special restrictions: Use copies have not been made for audiovisual material in this collection. Researchers must contact the Rose Library at least two weeks in advance for access to these items. Collection restrictions, copyright limitations, or technical complications may hinder the Rose Library's ability to provide access to audiovisual material. Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Special restrictions apply: letters and manuscripts by Ted Hughes and most photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of Carol Hughes.
    [Show full text]
  • Sensory Imagery and Aesthetic Affect in the Poetry of Keats, Hopkins, and Eliot
    UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 2009 Sensory imagery and aesthetic affect in the poetry of Keats, Hopkins, and Eliot Clare Louis Gerlach University of Nevada Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons Repository Citation Gerlach, Clare Louis, "Sensory imagery and aesthetic affect in the poetry of Keats, Hopkins, and Eliot" (2009). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 80. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/1377188 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SENSORY IMAGERY AND AESTHETIC AFFECT IN THE POETRY OF KEATS, HOPKINS, AND ELIOT by Clare Louis Gerlach Bachelor of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2001 Master of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2003 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in English Department of English College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2009 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Clare Louis Gerlach entitled Sensory Imagery and Aesthetic Affect in the Poetry of Keats, Hopkins, and Eliot be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy English V.
    [Show full text]
  • Poetry from Britain and Ireland Since 1945
    The Penguin Book of Poetry from Britain and Ireland since 1945 EDITED BY SIMON ARMITAGE AND ROBERT CRAWFORD VIKING CONTENTS Introduction xix EDWIN MUIR 1887-1959 The Interrogation 1 The Annunciation 2 The Horses 3 HUGH MACDIABMID 1892-1978 Crystals Like Blood 5 To a Friend and Fellow-Poet 6 DAVID JONES 1895-1974 from The Sleeping Lord 7 ROBERT GRAVES 1895-1985 The White Goddess 9 Apple Island 10 Surgical Ward: Men 11 AUSTIN CLARKE 1896-1974 from Eighteenth Century Harp Songs (Mabel Kelly) 12 RUTH PITTER 1897—1992 Old Nelly's Birthday 13 BASIL BUNTING 1900-1985 from Briggflatts 15 STEVIE SMITH 1902-1971 Do Take Muriel Out 20 Not Waving but Drowning 21 The Jungle Husband 22 Piggy to Joey 22 PATRICK KAVANAGH 1904—1967 A Christmas Childhood 23 The Long Garden 25 I vi | Contents JOHN BETJEMAN 1906-1984 A-Subaltern's Love-Song 26 I. M. Walter Ramsden ob. March 26, 1947, Pembroke College, Oxford 28 Executive 29 Louis MACNEICE 1907-1963 All Over Again 30 Soap Suds 31 The Suicide 31 The Taxis 32 W. H. AUDEN 1907-1973 The Fall of Rome 33 The Shield of Achilles 34 First Things First 36 In Praise of Limestone 37 JOHN HEWITT 1907-1987 I Write For ... 40 The Scar 41 KATHLEEN RAINE 1908— Air 42 The Pythoness 42 ROBERT GARIOCH 1909-1981 The Wire 43 NORMAN MACCAIG 1910—1996 Summer farm 48 July evening 49 Aunt Julia 50. Toad 51 Small boy 52 SOMHAIRLE MACGILL-EAIN/SORLEY MACLEAN 1911-1996 Soluis/Lights 53 Hallaig/Hallaig 54 A' Bheinn air Chall/The Lost Mountain 58 ROY FULLER 1912—1991 1948 60 Contents | vii | GEORGE BARKER 1913-1991 On a Friend's Escape from Drowning off the Norfolk Coast 61 from Villa Stellar 62 R.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Hofmann/1
    Michael Hofmann/1 MICHAEL HOFMANN Department of English University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 32611 352-392-6650 Education Cambridge University, BA, 1979 Cambridge University, MA, 1984 Teaching Visiting Lecturer, University of Florida, 1990 Distinguished Visiting Lecturer, University of Florida, 1994- Visiting Associate Professor, University of Michigan, 1994 Craig-Kade Visiting Writer, German Department, Rutgers University, New Jersey, 2003 Visiting Associate Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, 2005 Visiting Associate Professor, The New School University, New York, 2005 Professor and Co-Director of Creative Writing, University of Florida, 2013- Term Professor, University of Florida, 2017- Books Poetry Introduction 5 (Faber & Faber, 1982) [one of seven poets] Nights in the Iron Hotel (Faber & Faber, 1983) Acrimony (Faber & Faber, 1986) K.S. in Lakeland: New and Selected Poems (Hopewell, New Jersey: Ecco, 1990) Corona, Corona (Faber & Faber, 1993) Penguin Modern Poets 13 (Penguin, 1998) [one of a trio with Robin Robertson and Michael Longley] Approximately Nowhere (Faber & Faber, 1999) Behind the Lines: Pieces on Writing and Pictures (Faber & Faber, 2001) Arturo Di Stefano (London, Merrell, 2001) [with John Berger and Christopher Lloyd] Selected Poems (Faber & Faber, 2008; FSG, 2009) Where Have You Been: Selected Essays (FSG, 2014, Faber 2015) One Lark, One Horse (Faber, 2018) foreign editions Nachten in het ijzeren hotel [Nights in the Iron Hotel] translated by Adrienne Michael Hofmann/2 van Heteren and Remco
    [Show full text]
  • ****************************W********************************** * Reproductions Supplied by EDRS Are the Best That Can Be Made * * from the Original Document
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 432 780 CS 216 827 AUTHOR Somers, Albert. B. TITLE Teaching Poetry in High School. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL. ISBN ISBN-0-8141-5289-9 PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 230p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock No. 52899-0015: $14.95 members, $19.95 nonmembers). PUB TYPE Books (010) Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Class Activities; *English Instruction; High Schools; Internet; *Poetry; *Poets; Student Evaluation; Teaching Methods IDENTIFIERS Alternative Assessment ABSTRACT Suggesting that the teaching of poetry must be engaging as well as challenging, this book presents practical approaches, guidelines, activities, and scenarios for teaching poetry in high school. It offers 40 complete poems; a discussion of assessment issues (including authentic assessment); poetry across the curriculum; and addresses and annotations for over 30 websites on poetry. Chapters in the book are (1) Poetry in America; (2) Poetry in the Schools;(3) Selecting Poetry to Teach;(4) Contemporary Poets in the Classroom;(5) Approaching Poetry;(6) Responding to Poetry by Talking;(7) Responding to Poetry by Performing;(8) Poetry and Writing; (9) Teaching Form and Technique;(10) Assessing the Teaching and Learning of Poetry;(11) Teaching Poetry across the Curriculum; and (12) Poetry and the Internet. Appendixes contain lists of approximately 100 anthologies of poetry, 12 reference works, approximately 50 selected mediaresources, 4 selected journals, and 6 selected awards honoring American poets. (RS) *********************************************w********************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ted Hughes Society Journal
    The Ted Hughes Society Journal Volume VII Issue 2 The Ted Hughes Society Journal Editor Dr Mark Wormald Pembroke College Cambridge Reviews Editor Prof. Terry Gifford Bath Spa University Editorial Board Prof. Terry Gifford Bath Spa University Dr Yvonne Reddick University of Preston Prof. Neil Roberts University of Sheffield Dr James Robinson Durham University Dr Carrie Smith Cardiff University Production Manager Dr David Troupes Published by the Ted Hughes Society. All matters pertaining to the Ted Hughes Society Journal should be sent to: [email protected] You can contact the Ted Hughes Society via email at: [email protected] Questions about joining the Society should be sent to: [email protected] thetedhughessociety.org This Journal is copyright of the Ted Hughes Society but copyright of the articles is the property of their authors. Written consent should be requested from the copyright holder before reproducing content for personal and/or educational use; requests for permission should be addressed to the Editor. Commercial copying is prohibited without written consent. 2 Contents Editorial .......................................................................................................................... 4 List of abbreviations of works by Ted Hughes .............................................................6 Ovid, Plath, Baskin, Hughes ......................................................................................... 7 Holly Ranger Welsh Origins of Ted Hughes’s Magical Poetry
    [Show full text]
  • The Filial Art: a Reading of Contemporary British Poetry Author(S): Blake Morrison Source: the Yearbook of English Studies, Vol
    The Filial Art: A Reading of Contemporary British Poetry Author(s): Blake Morrison Source: The Yearbook of English Studies, Vol. 17, British Poetry since 1945 Special Number (1987 ), pp. 179-217 Published by: Modern Humanities Research Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3507659 Accessed: 03-02-2016 06:54 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3507659?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Modern Humanities Research Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Yearbook of English Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 134.208.29.220 on Wed, 03 Feb 2016 06:54:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Filial Art:A Reading of ContemporaryBritish Poetry BLAKE MORRISON London I I am morecertain that it is a dutyof nature to preservea goodparent's life and happiness,than I amof any speculative point whatever. (Alexander Pope) My fatherwas an eminentbutton maker - butI had a soulabove buttons - I pantedfor a liberalprofession.
    [Show full text]
  • And Twenty-First-Century Poetry Abstract This Article Begins by Noting T
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository New Old English: The Place of Old English in Twentieth- and Twenty-first-Century Poetry Abstract This article begins by noting that the narrative coherence of literary history as a genre, and the inclusions and exclusions that it is forced to make, depend on the often unacknowledged metaphors that attend its practice. Literary history which is conceived as an unbroken continuity (‘the living stream of English’) has found the incorporation of Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) to be problematic and an issue of contention. After surveying the kind of arguments that are made about the place of Old English as being within or without English literary tradition, this article notes that a vast body of twentieth and twenty-first century poetry, oblivious to those turf-wars, has concerned itself with Old English as a compositional resource. It is proposed that this poetry, a disparate and varied body of work, could be recognized as part of a cultural phenomenon: ‘The New Old English’. Academic research in this area is surveyed, from the 1970s to the present, noting that the rate of production and level of interest in New Old English has been rapidly escalating in the last decade. A range of poets and poems that display knowledge and use of Old English largely overlooked by criticism to date is then catalogued, with minimal critical discussion, in order to facilitate further investigation by other scholars. This essay argues that the widespread and large-scale reincorporation of an early phase of English poetic tradition, not in contiguous contact with contemporary writing for so many centuries, is such an unprecedented episode in the history of any vernacular that it challenges many of the metaphors through which we attempt to pattern texts into literary historical narrative.
    [Show full text]
  • Course Specifications
    Course Title: A Survey of English Poetry Course Code: ENGL 321 Program: B.A. in English Department: Department of English College of Science and Humanitarian Studies in College: AlGaht Institution: Majmaah University A. Course Identification 1. Credit hours: 3 2. Course type a. University College Department . Others b. Required . Elective 3. Level/year at which this course is offered: Level Six/ 3rd Year 4. Pre-requisites for this course (if any): Introduction to Literature ENGL 211 5. Co-requisites for this course (if any): none 6. Mode of Instruction (mark all that apply) No Mode of Instruction Contact Hours Percentage 1 Traditional classroom √ 70% 2 Blended √ 15% 3 E-learning √ 5% 4 Correspondence 5 Other √ 20% 7. Actual Learning Hours (based on academic semester) No Activity Learning Hours Contact Hours 1 Lecture 45 hrs. 2 Laboratory/Studio None 3 Tutorial None 4 Others (specify) None Total 45 Other Learning Hours* 1 Study 2 Assignments 2 3 Library 4 Projects/Research Essays/Theses 2 5 Others (specify) Total 4 * The length of time that a learner takes to complete learning activities that lead to achievement of course learning outcomes, such as study time, homework assignments, projects, preparing presentations, library times 2 B. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes 1. Course Description The course introduces students to the different literary periods of English poetry. It would cover the main five literary periods of English poetry; Neo-classical, Romantic, Victorian, Modern and Post-modern with an introduction to Old English, Middle English and Renaissance periods. This survey of poetic literary periods would include selective poems of representative poets for each period.
    [Show full text]