That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorGlenn, Ianen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMarks, Susan Janeen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-10-16T09:48:36Z
dc.date.available2016-10-16T09:48:36Z
dc.date.issued1989en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 135-141.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn this thesis, I approach autobiography in Another Life by exploring the linguistic means Derek Walcott uses to set up subjectivity in the text. In particular, I respond to Emile Benveniste's question: "what does I refer to" by examining the role of the first person pronoun in Another Life. In chapter one, I introduce the problem of "being in the text", attend to comments Walcott has made about the self, review criticism of the poem, raise issues which concern critics of autobiography, outline Benveniste's theory of subjectivity and Philippe Lejeune's observations on the use of the third person in autobiography. A thematic summary of the poem follows in the second chapter. The pronominal structure underlying Walcott's autobiography and the "biography" of a West Indian intelligence is traced in chapter three where I relate Walcott's dual perspective to Benveniste's definitions of discourse and historical narration. In the final chapter, close readings of selected textual extracts demonstrate the complexity of language phenomenalizing the pronoun I in different sequences of the poem. The readings support Benveniste's claim that the I "refers to the act of individual discourse in which it is pronounced" and the post-structuralist notion that the "self" is a linguistic construct. I conclude that Walcott's I assimilates both romantic and post-structuralist properties.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMarks, S. J. (1989). <i>That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22151en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMarks, Susan Jane. <i>"That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22151en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMarks, S. 1989. That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Marks, Susan Jane AB - In this thesis, I approach autobiography in Another Life by exploring the linguistic means Derek Walcott uses to set up subjectivity in the text. In particular, I respond to Emile Benveniste's question: "what does I refer to" by examining the role of the first person pronoun in Another Life. In chapter one, I introduce the problem of "being in the text", attend to comments Walcott has made about the self, review criticism of the poem, raise issues which concern critics of autobiography, outline Benveniste's theory of subjectivity and Philippe Lejeune's observations on the use of the third person in autobiography. A thematic summary of the poem follows in the second chapter. The pronominal structure underlying Walcott's autobiography and the "biography" of a West Indian intelligence is traced in chapter three where I relate Walcott's dual perspective to Benveniste's definitions of discourse and historical narration. In the final chapter, close readings of selected textual extracts demonstrate the complexity of language phenomenalizing the pronoun I in different sequences of the poem. The readings support Benveniste's claim that the I "refers to the act of individual discourse in which it is pronounced" and the post-structuralist notion that the "self" is a linguistic construct. I conclude that Walcott's I assimilates both romantic and post-structuralist properties. DA - 1989 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1989 T1 - That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life TI - That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22151 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/22151
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMarks SJ. That terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another life. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of English Language and Literature, 1989 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22151en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of English Language and Literatureen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherAutobiographyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherLiterary Studiesen_ZA
dc.titleThat terrible vowel, that I : autobiography and Derek Walcott's Another lifeen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hum_1989_marks_susan_jane.pdf
Size:
1.63 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters