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Objects and Phenomenologies in the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert and Wallace Stevens

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Objects and Phenomenologies in the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert and Wallace Stevens Objects and phenomenologies in the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert and Wallace Stevens Maciej Marzec, s1491008 [email protected] Supervisor: dr. Maria Boletsi Second reader: dr. Yasco Horsman Literary Studies Research Master 2015/2016 Index of content 0. Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................3 1. Chapter – Theoretical background..................................................................................................................5 1.1. Preliminary definitions...........................................................................................................................6 1.2.Graham Harman, speculative realism and object-oriented ontology......................................................8 1.2.1. Style, aesthetics and metaphors in Harman's philosophy............................................................11 1.2.2. Prince of Networks and Harman's relevance for my project.......................................................15 1.3. Ian Bogost and Alien Phenomenology.................................................................................................18 1.4 Amerindian ontology.............................................................................................................................22 1.5. Conclusion of the theoretical part........................................................................................................26 2. Chapter – Zbigniew Herbert.........................................................................................................................27 2.1. Pebble...................................................................................................................................................29 2.3. Study of the Object..............................................................................................................................34 2.4. Object prose poems..............................................................................................................................39 2.4.1. The wooden die...........................................................................................................................40 2.4.2. Armchairs and Hen......................................................................................................................43 2.4.3. Clock...........................................................................................................................................45 2.5. Herbert – conclusion............................................................................................................................47 3. Chapter – Wallace Stevens...........................................................................................................................49 3.1. The Snow Man.....................................................................................................................................50 3.2. A Rabbit as King of the Ghosts............................................................................................................55 3.3. The Wind Shifts....................................................................................................................................61 3.4. Note on Moonlight...............................................................................................................................62 3.5. Stevens – conclusion............................................................................................................................67 4. Summary and conclusion..............................................................................................................................69 5. Appendix.......................................................................................................................................................72 6. Bibliography:................................................................................................................................................79 2 0. Introduction The principal aim of my study is to investigate how Wallace Stevens and Zbigniew Herbert perceive objects and objecthood, and how they imagine, if they actually do, a phenomenology of objects. I am will do this through the lenses of object-oriented ontology, as it is presented in the work of Graham Harman, a contemporary American philosopher working at the American University of Cairo, and of alien phenomenologies, as defined by Ian Bogost, a contemporary culture and media theorist associated with Georgian Institute of Technology. Object-oriented ontology is a philosophical position that places objects in the center of ontological inquiries by claiming that they are the primary ontological category (i.e. they are prior to any other ontological form, such as relations). It envisages reality as composed of an infinite number of irreducible objects that constitute no hierarchy. A natural consequence of such an ontology is a shift of attention from humans to objects. Alien phenomenology explores an aspect of objecthood that has been previously poorly described, namely the question of how objects experience themselves and the external reality. The Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert, who lived in the years 1924-1998, is considered one of the major figures of Polish post-war literature. He developed a distinct style that combines free verse with classic poetic themes and frequent references to Antiquity. His oeuvre is strongly influenced by philosophy and openly addresses philosophical problems. In several of his poems Herbert directly asks questions about objects and the nature of objecthood. Many of his poems thematize the status of abstract objects, the borders of objects, the possibility of knowing the object in itself etc. I will examine if his poems can give shape to a consistent philosophical position concerning objects. I also aim to explore how object-oriented ontology could serve as a framework for readings of poetry and how this philosophical position could be enriched by those readings. Wallace Stevens is one of the greatest poets of American modernism. He lived in the years 1879-1955. He is known for original poems that manage to address complex philosophical issues through strong, sensual images, without open recourse to purely reflective voice. Stevens is a very phenomenological poet – his poems often mirror questions and problems addressed in the phenomenological tradition. Phenomenology is a school of thought that has its source in Husserl's work from the beginning of the XXth century and was further developed by such philosopheras as Martin Heidegger, Emmanuel Levinas and 3 Maurice Merleau-Ponty. It addressed such questions as the entanglement of subject and object, the embodiedness of perception, the complex structure of experience. All of those subjects are strongly present in Stevens' poetry. In his works there are some poems that could be read as an inquiry into the phenomenological experiences of beings other than humans. I intend to concentrate on those poems in order to examine how they approach and construct the experiences of objects. There are other poets who might seem a more obvious or instinctive choice concerning the subject of objects and objecthood. Poets such as Francis Ponge or Carlos Williams are well known for numerous poems in which they describe various objects. Those poems constitute a major part of their oeuvre. Especially Ponge's poetry focuses on meticulous descriptions of objects, trying to depict them as precisely and thouroughly as possible. However, by treating objects as objects, these poets are forced to approach them as they appear as objects to human consciousness. In this sense, they retain the dualism of human and non-human, of subject and object, for they describe simply what they see without engaging in the problems of objecthood, access or phenomenology. They did not write poems that attempt to imagine the inwardness of objects either. By contrast, Herbert and Stevens problematize objects and objecthood. Even though they differ in how they approach objects – Herbert reflects openly on the ontological nature of objects, whereas in Stevens's reflections are embedded in the phenomenology of the objects he describes – they both do not merely describe objects their lyrical voices encounter, they question the status of those objects. Therefore, the motivation behind my choice to read those writers together comes from the fact that they are both openly philosophical poets for whom questions concerning objects are important. In the first part of the thesis I will outline the theoretical background of my project – I will read the works of Harman and Bogost to show how they could be relevant to reading poetry. In the second chapter I will read several of Herbert's poems, focusing on how he problematizes the question of objects and objecthood. Finally, in the third chapter, I will discuss Stevens' poetry from the point of view of alien phenomenology, trying to see how poems can depict non-human beings' experiences or even simulate them. The text of my thesis is followed by an appendix, which contains all he poems I will analyze. 4 1. Chapter – Theoretical background In this part I intend to present and discuss the theoretical background of this thesis. Firstly, I will make some preliminary remarks concerning terms such as phenomenology and anthropomorphism, which are central to my thesis. Secondly, I introduce
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