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The sacred occupies a central place in the poetry of Guillevic, who described himself as a 'matérialiste religieux'. This study, informed by anthropological and psychoanalytical thought, examines the evolution of this aspect of his oeuvre from Terraqué (1942) through to the poet's last works and focuses in particular on the relation between the sacred and the mother figure. A semiotic approach is used for close textual analysis of key poems. Guillevic's poetic endeavour is conceived as an archaeological quest whereby the presence of the archaic within the domain of the real is disclosed and mythical patterns emerge. The re-enactment of the cosmogony, the performance of ritual and the process of mourning - all crucial to poetic creativity itself - are identified as motivating forces through which the poet seeks reparation of the mother. This study will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as to teachers of French literature, and will provide a useful introduction to those who may be unfamiliar with the unique voice of this major 20th century poet.
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The sacred occupies a central place in the poetry of Guillevic, who described himself as a 'matérialiste religieux'. This study, informed by anthropological and psychoanalytical thought, examines the evolution of this aspect of his oeuvre from Terraqué (1942) through to the poet's last works and focuses in particular on the relation between the sacred and the mother figure. A semiotic approach is used for close textual analysis of key poems. Guillevic's poetic endeavour is conceived as an archaeological quest whereby the presence of the archaic within the domain of the real is disclosed and mythical patterns emerge. The re-enactment of the cosmogony, the performance of ritual and the process of mourning - all crucial to poetic creativity itself - are identified as motivating forces through which the poet seeks reparation of the mother. This study will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as to teachers of French literature, and will provide a useful introduction to those who may be unfamiliar with the unique voice of this major 20th century poet.
Eugene Guillevic, who died in 1997, was one of France's most important contemporary poets. Dating from 1961, Carnac marks the beginning of Guillevic's mature life as a poet. A single poem divided into several parts, it evokes the rocky, sea-bound, unfinished landscape of Brittany with its sacred objects and its great silent sense of waiting. The texts are brief but have a grave, meditative serenity, as the poet seeks to effect balance and help us to make friends with nature, as well as to live in a universe which is chaotic and often frightening. In this poetry of description -- where entire landscapes are built up from short, intense texts -- language is reduced to its essentials, as words are placed on the page like a dam against time, and aspire to what John Montague calls their mystic materialism.
A selection of poems from one of the most highly regarded late-twentieth century poets
The richness and diversity of poetic voices in France since the mid-twentieth century sharpen the challenge of charting the poetic landscape in ways that are accessible and cohesive. Since poetry in France has long demonstrated a predisposition to philosophical questions. Palimpsests of the Real in Recent French Poetry reads the work of six poets through the lens of the Pre-Socratics. The poets discussed range from the well-known - Jacques Dupin, André du Bouchet, Eugène Guillevic - to the lesser celebrated - Jean-Louis Chrétien, Céline Zins, and Emmanuel Hocquard. What binds these six together is an interest in the real, and a fascination with the ways of sensing one's world, of experiencing time, unity, memory, and change. For each poet, the aesthetic character of the work takes precedence, and its presentation is informed by the philosophical groundwork laid by ancient thinkers. Written not only for specialists but also for students and all readers with a general interest in literature and poetry, this book provides introductory material to each poet considered as well as offers critical readings that never stray far from the poetic texts.