Document Type
Thesis - University Access Only
Award Date
2011
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department / School
English
Abstract
This thesis opposes the idea that poets are guided by "divine inspiration." Instead, it exposes the writing process as a series of complicated experiments that necessitate research and reflection. My ambitions for writing poetry on dance prompted me to explore the subject of movement and its modern pioneers through ekphrastic, persona, and lyrical lenses. Within each of these varying perspectives I discovered poetic techniques and theories that provided me with the tools essential for completing the collection of poems as well as invaluable knowledge and skills that I will carry into my future career as a writer. Throughout each chapter I highlight each approach's historical and contemporary influence on my craft and my own metacognition concerning how I manage to shift from one perspective to the next. I include the work of other contemporary poets and how their writing styles influence my poems. For example, Julianna Baggott first introduced me to the power of the persona poem when I struggled with ekphrastic work, and this led me to explore the genre further. As a result, I also discovered Carol Ann Duffy's technique of contradictory diction and Ai's brave choice of immoral speakers. I drew on Freya Manfred's and Jane Hirschfield's methods of creating meditative spaces as I created lyrical poems, and I used Jess Lee Kercheval's meta-ekphrastic moments to guide me as I challenged some of the critical contexts my work engages.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Dance
Poetry -- Authorship
Ekphrasis
Poetics
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
101
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Olivier, Sara, "A Fellowship of Limbs: The Process of Shifting Poetic Perspectives" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1820.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd2/1820