Some elements of modern poetic technique

Meyer, Sandra Joy

Some elements of modern poetic technique

Master Thesis

1995

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of English Language and Literature

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This thesis sets out to discover what techniques are available to the contemporary poet and in what way they are unique to the poetic tradition. The standpoint taken is that of a poet situated in the Western cultural and poetic tradition and a poetics is endorsed that holds that poems may be the site of evaluation, specifically in terms of technique. The thesis excludes detailed consideration of historical and political contexts. The method of research used is analysis of actual works by modern poets, within the context of poetics and primary documentation by poets themselves on their technique. The thesis is divided into three sections. The section on rhyme discusses whether the modern poet should use rhyme and describes methods used to develop the technique. The section on diction describes traditional modes of rhetoric, including levels of style and figures, and investigates contemporary rhetorical and alternative strategies. The final section researches the use of imagery, symbols and tropes, with particular reference to metaphor. The study draws conclusions about the complex possibilities in rhyme, the relevance of rhetoric and the role of the imagination in transforming the image.

Description

Bibliography: pages 243-256.

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