The efficacy of song itself : Seamus Heaney's defence of poetry

The defence of poetry dates back, in English literature, to Sidney's 'An Apology for Poetry' (1595), and the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen an increasing number of writers advancing arguments in support of an art form that seems, more than ever, to be under threat. In this thesis, Seamus Heaney's essays on the purpose of poetry are considered as they constitute a defence of the art form. While Heaney's poetry and prose have, as a result of his popularity and standing as a poet, generated an almost unprecedented body of critical work, his defence of poetry has not been recognised as such, nor has it come under sufficient critical scrutiny. Essentially a defence of a defence, this thesis redresses that omission by examining Heaney's apology as it takes shape in his essays, and in its application to a selection of his own poems.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of English Language and Literature

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Rowan, Sarah

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Watson, Stephen

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8235

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8235