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THOMAS TRAHERNE: PERSPECTIVE AS A STRUCTURAL DEVICE IN THE DOBELL FOLIO

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Date Issued:
1970
Summary:
Most modern critics of the poetry of Thomas Traherne view the Dobell Folio, indeed the poetry as a whole, as far inferior in quality and importance to Traherne's other writings. In their attempts to explain his philosophy, the critics have generally focussed on the history of ideas rather than on the body of Traherne's work. Although recent critics have become more responsive to the Dobell poems, these works are usually discussed in a most cursory and economic manner. It is, hence, the purpose of this paper to examine the Dobell Folio in detail with regard to form and content, artistic capability, and control, as well as to poetic intent. I attempt to demonstrate that the poet is a capable, resourceful craftsman who carefully manipulates visual and spiritual perspective to instruct the reader. The technically demanding process of perspective shift is evidenced in the poems by two "voices," two distinctive personae whose points of reference are entirely opposed. The development of the sequential pattern of Innocence - -Fall -- Redemption suggests that one persona acting in the poems participates in a phenomenal reality, an objective reality of temporal and spatial experience. Concomitant with this phenomenal reality is a noumenal reality which is purely subjective and nonsensual . This noumenal perspective of unity is the point of reference for the second voice in the poems. Since the reader (and the unredeemed persona) can never have a sensual experience of a nonsensuous perception, he must be led by the redeemed poet, sub specie aeternitatis, through a journey of discovery until he attains the mystical state of comprehension of the reality external to him and independent of him . At some uncertain point the phenomenal and noumenal realities intersect; at that point of actualization, the world of objective reality is transcended, time and space cease to be real, and the persona becomes unified with that reality which previously was external and separate. The poet intends to demonstrate by the parable of historical autobiography the way to apocalyptic vision of spiritual reality, a subjective reality which is readily available but to which the individual, caught up in temporality, is blind. As I demonstrate in this paper there are two distinct realities expressed by two separate voices involved in the sequence. The two realities are responsible for the seemingly inartistic tense shifts, pronoun changes, and other "inconsistencies." These "inconsistencies" I suggest, are not theresult of faulty workmanship, but are there by design. The "flaws" are not instances of "incoherent diffuseness," but are, rather, vital indicators necessary for comprehension of the artistic play involved in the sequence . The Dobell sequence is found to be highly ordered, rich in symbolic and imagistic interrelationships, and carefully structured to reveal a vision of glorious beatitude. Through reflection on the perspective of each stage of the "divine comedy" of life, the author, indeed, Everyman, may learn the lesson of plentitude and reign in communion with Spirit.
Title: THOMAS TRAHERNE: PERSPECTIVE AS A STRUCTURAL DEVICE IN THE DOBELL FOLIO.
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Name(s): MAURO, CHARLES THOMAS.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Pearce, Howard W., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1970
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 128 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Most modern critics of the poetry of Thomas Traherne view the Dobell Folio, indeed the poetry as a whole, as far inferior in quality and importance to Traherne's other writings. In their attempts to explain his philosophy, the critics have generally focussed on the history of ideas rather than on the body of Traherne's work. Although recent critics have become more responsive to the Dobell poems, these works are usually discussed in a most cursory and economic manner. It is, hence, the purpose of this paper to examine the Dobell Folio in detail with regard to form and content, artistic capability, and control, as well as to poetic intent. I attempt to demonstrate that the poet is a capable, resourceful craftsman who carefully manipulates visual and spiritual perspective to instruct the reader. The technically demanding process of perspective shift is evidenced in the poems by two "voices," two distinctive personae whose points of reference are entirely opposed. The development of the sequential pattern of Innocence - -Fall -- Redemption suggests that one persona acting in the poems participates in a phenomenal reality, an objective reality of temporal and spatial experience. Concomitant with this phenomenal reality is a noumenal reality which is purely subjective and nonsensual . This noumenal perspective of unity is the point of reference for the second voice in the poems. Since the reader (and the unredeemed persona) can never have a sensual experience of a nonsensuous perception, he must be led by the redeemed poet, sub specie aeternitatis, through a journey of discovery until he attains the mystical state of comprehension of the reality external to him and independent of him . At some uncertain point the phenomenal and noumenal realities intersect; at that point of actualization, the world of objective reality is transcended, time and space cease to be real, and the persona becomes unified with that reality which previously was external and separate. The poet intends to demonstrate by the parable of historical autobiography the way to apocalyptic vision of spiritual reality, a subjective reality which is readily available but to which the individual, caught up in temporality, is blind. As I demonstrate in this paper there are two distinct realities expressed by two separate voices involved in the sequence. The two realities are responsible for the seemingly inartistic tense shifts, pronoun changes, and other "inconsistencies." These "inconsistencies" I suggest, are not theresult of faulty workmanship, but are there by design. The "flaws" are not instances of "incoherent diffuseness," but are, rather, vital indicators necessary for comprehension of the artistic play involved in the sequence . The Dobell sequence is found to be highly ordered, rich in symbolic and imagistic interrelationships, and carefully structured to reveal a vision of glorious beatitude. Through reflection on the perspective of each stage of the "divine comedy" of life, the author, indeed, Everyman, may learn the lesson of plentitude and reign in communion with Spirit.
Identifier: 13422 (digitool), FADT13422 (IID), fau:10272 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1970.
Subject(s): Traherne, Thomas,--d 1674--Criticism and interpretation
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13422
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.