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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2015-02-03 Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson McDowell, Drew McDowell, D. (2015). Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27947 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2072 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson by Drew McDowell A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH CALGARY, ALBERTA JANUARY, 2015 © Drew McDowell 2015 Abstract This study examines Anne Carson’s use and abuse of the lyric form, elucidating how Carson reinvigorates the lyric poem with the power of the sublime, and theorizing the relationship between poetry and knowledge. Through three critical and historical inflections, “Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson” contextualizes Carson’s synthetic approach to poetry alongside the work of her significant influences and her significant peers. In following two diverging themes in Carson’s work, the erotic and the thanatological, this dissertation posits a new way to understand Carson’s contribution to poetry in Canada. By illuminating the ways in which Carson proffers a significant challenge to both contemporary critical practices and contemporary poetic practices, “Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson” traces the development of an alternative lyrical tradition – a tradition that manifests the sublime as a “counter-song” to the neo- Romanticism that pervades lyricism in Canada. This dissertation consists of five chapters. The Introduction, “Troubling Propositions,” links Carson’s reception by readers, critics, and academics to her unique poetics, elaborating on the controversies surrounding both her publications and her prestigious, international awards. Chapter one, “Synagôgê and Diairesis: Anne Carson’s Classical Precedents,” establishes the way the Classics influence Carson’s poetry and scholarship, including her theories of both desire and loss. Chapter two, “The Matter of History: Anne Carson’s Modern Inflections,” provides context for Carson’s poetic experimentalism, locating her concerns about historical representation among those of Ezra Pound, H. D. (Hilda Doolittle), Phyllis Webb, and P. K. Page. Chapter three, “Postmodern Relatives: Anne Carson’s Elusive Doubles,” theorizes her subversive use of ii the lyric in relation to Postmodernist epistemology, including an examination the work of her peers Sina Queyras and Lisa Robertson. In conclusion, “Symbolon: The Poetry of Anne Carson” speculates that Carson’s approach to the lyric both affirms the consanguinity of philosophy and poetics, and constitutes an alternative to the dominant lyrical tradition in Canada. iii Acknowledgements Throughout the process of writing this dissertation and pursuing this degree, I have incurred many debts. Although poor compensation, I proffer my gratitude and warmest appreciation. First, I must thank my supervisor, Christian Bök, for his patient encouragement, his unwavering support, and his keen attention. I am grateful for such generosity of both time and spirit. Additionally, I offer my thanks to my committee members, Jon Kertzer and Harry Vandervlist, for their graciousness and willingness to help at a moment’s notice. Thanks, also, to my two external examiners, Noreen Humble and Tanis MacDonald. Without assistance from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Department of English, completing this project would have been impossible. I am thankful for financial support in the form of scholarships, awards, and assistantships, including the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship in 2009 and 2010, and the Graduate Faculty Council Scholarship in 2010. For their reassuring kindness, good humour, and challenging conversation, I am indebted to Sungfu Tsai, Matt Kriz, and Mike Roberson, who have influenced me remarkably and never asked for anything but friendship in return. My mother and father have provided me with love, sustenance, and encouragement in the pursuit of this endeavor. I humbly thank them for the opportunities they have granted me. Finally, I owe a lifetime of gratitude to my wife, Andrea. Her patience, her love, and her understanding have made this project, and all other things, possible. iv Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to Andrea, the love of my life. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Dedication ............................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures and Illustrations ........................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION: TROUBLING PROPOSITIONS .........................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: SYNAGÔGÊ AND DIAIRESIS: ANNE CARSON’S CLASSICAL PRECEDENTS .........................................................................................................42 Theorizing the Ineffable .................................................................................................47 Theorizing Eros ..............................................................................................................56 Claims of Longing .........................................................................................................62 Theorizing Loss .............................................................................................................76 Claims of Loss ...............................................................................................................84 CHAPTER TWO: THE MATTER OF HISTORY: ANNE CARSON’S MODERN INFLECTIONS .......................................................................................................102 Modern Loss: Anne Carson and Ezra Pound ...............................................................112 Modern Longing: Anne Carson and H. D. ...................................................................127 Modernizing Canada ....................................................................................................141 Modern Longing: Anne Carson and Phyllis Webb ......................................................143 Modern Loss: Anne Carson and P. K. Page ................................................................153 CHAPTER THREE: POSTMODERN RELATIVES: ANNE CARSON’S ELUSIVE DOUBLES ..............................................................................................................165 Outlining Postmodernism ............................................................................................172 Postmodern Longing: Anne Carson and Sina Queyras ...............................................176 Postmodern Loss: Anne Carson and Sina Queyras .....................................................193 Postmodern Longing: Anne Carson and Lisa Robertson .............................................208 Postmodern Loss: Anne Carson and Lisa Robertson ...................................................218 CONCLUSION: RED DOC> ..........................................................................................228 WORKS CITED ..............................................................................................................248 vi List of Figures and Illustrations Fig. 1. Anne Carson, NOX (NY: New Directions, 2010) ................................................. 96 Fig. 2. Anne Carson, NOX (NY: New Directions, 2010) ................................................. 97 Fig. 3. Anne Carson, NOX (NY: New Directions, 2010) ................................................. 98 Fig. 4. Anne Carson, NOX (NY: New Directions, 2010) ................................................. 99 vii INTRODUCTION: TROUBLING PROPOSITIONS When the critic David Solway remarks in his now infamous essay “The Trouble with Annie” that Anne Carson “is a phony, all sleight-of-hand, both as a scholar and a poet,” he rehearses a vituperative assault not only on her poetry, which he finds “obstreperously bad,” but also on the entire cultural industry of scholarly and popular criticism (Solway “Books”).1 For Solway, criticism in Canada resembles a “professional scam” where reviewers celebrating Carson’s books contrive “a gigantic pyramid scheme no-one can blow the whistle on” (Solway “Books”). Indeed, the zeal with which many critics laud Carson’s poetry is matched only by the zeal with which Solway disparages it. Yet, Solway identifies what is certainly the most puzzling aspect of Carson’s critical reception: the enthusiasm that she receives from popular reviewers and the reluctance of academic specialists to comment on any but her most ubiquitous works. Carson’s
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