The underworld in twentieth-century poetry : from Pound and Eliot to Heaney and Walcott / Michael Thurston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thurston, Michael, 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English poetry--20th century--History and criticism.

English poetry.

American poetry--20th century--History and criticism.

American poetry.

Voyages to the otherworld in literature.

Hell in literature.

Physical Description:

x, 216 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

Summary:

The here's descent into the Underworld is not only one of the oldest stories in western literature, it is also one of the most often retold. Why do so many modern poets-British and American, black and white, male and female, from the metropole and from the margins-stage Underworld descents in their works? Through a series of contextualized close readings, this study traces the cultural work performed by modern deployments of the classical narrative. While some poets engage their literary forebears to exorcise anxiety and others use Hell to sharpen their cultural critique, most recent poets, including James Merrill, Derek Walcott, Tony Harrison, and Seamus Heaney, have found the Underworld descent to be a useful framework for addressing the claims of history and politics.

Contents:

Declarations of interdependence : the necromantic confrontation with tradition

Katabasis as cultural critique

In Nekuia begins responsibility : "Little Gidding" and the postwar necromantic tradition

James Merrill's "Book of Ephraim"

Derek Walcott's Omeros

Tony Harrison's V

Seamus Heaney's "Station Island".

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780230620469

0230620469

OCLC:

316829516