A theory and praxis of a city poetic: Jakobson, poetic function and city space: women, deixis and the narrator: a city poem: 'Shades of light: a triumph of city'
This thesis re-examines Jakobson's theory of poetic function and develops the axial model of his metaphoric and metonymic poles in order to construct a suggested iconic and poetic space, with special reference to a city poetic. The suggested model is used to develop a possible genre of a city poetic. The role of the narrator in poetry is explored with specific reference to shifters and deictics, with a view to a gendered analysis of self and place within a city poetic. The construction of space within the Jakobsonian axial model is developed with the assistance of iconicity, parallels, and movement (with reference to the Russian Formalist Movement's interest in byt). Ile question as to why women poets have not extensively explored their position within a city poetic is investigated by way of a discussion of deixis and shifters (place and self) - with special attention given to the benefits of distinct terms for these two stylistic categories. This thesis is practice-led and half is comprised of the long poem: Shades of Light: A Triumph of City. This poem is based on the Petrarchan sequence of Triumphs and interprets the woman poet, and poetry, within a city environment. It is a full length practical exploration of how the theory of a city poetic can be expressed in practice. The Commentary which accompanies the poem supplies information on the sources for the poem's background information and inspiration. The thesis and the poem are proposed as an integrated whole - theory plus practice and practice plus theory. It is hoped that this thesis, both in theory and practice, will inspire further research and work based on this presentation of: the first entire poetic sequence of Triumphs since Petrarch; a first in the use of Adobe Indesign software by a poet to construct poetry; a first diagrammatic representation of city poetic space; a first theoretical attempt to establish a genre of city poetry; and almost a first women's long poem about women in the city - in this case London.
410 Linguistics, 800 Literature & rhetoric
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