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PRINCIPLES AND PRISMS: SYMBOLIC STRUCTURE IN THE POETRY OF WALLACE STEVENS

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Date Issued:
1976
Summary:
A detailed analysis of Wallace Stevens' rock and statue symbols, as they recur throughout the poet's career, reveals an intricate chronological pattern. Such a pattern is based on Stevens' philosophical commitment to a world of constant change and elusive perceptual assertions. Stevens' symbols operate through a system of meaning which is controlled and variable at the same time. Two concepts of symbolic structure are defined: the prismatic principle, or focal point through which all meanings are projected, and the spectrum of import, the expansive pattern which shapes and modulates symbolic meaning. Symbols zig-zag from abstract to concrete levels of meaning development. Four major stages are analyzed: The Icon, Stage 1 (1921-1935), The Statue, Stage 2 (1935-1938), The Transitional Levels, Stage 3 (1938-1946), and The Rock, Stage 4 (1946-1950). The paradox of co-existing pattern and flux in Stevens' symbols emerges from his overriding dualistic uncertainties.
Title: PRINCIPLES AND PRISMS: SYMBOLIC STRUCTURE IN THE POETRY OF WALLACE STEVENS.
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Name(s): PAU-LLOSA, RICARDO MANUEL.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Pearce, Howard D., Thesis advisor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1976
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 95 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: A detailed analysis of Wallace Stevens' rock and statue symbols, as they recur throughout the poet's career, reveals an intricate chronological pattern. Such a pattern is based on Stevens' philosophical commitment to a world of constant change and elusive perceptual assertions. Stevens' symbols operate through a system of meaning which is controlled and variable at the same time. Two concepts of symbolic structure are defined: the prismatic principle, or focal point through which all meanings are projected, and the spectrum of import, the expansive pattern which shapes and modulates symbolic meaning. Symbols zig-zag from abstract to concrete levels of meaning development. Four major stages are analyzed: The Icon, Stage 1 (1921-1935), The Statue, Stage 2 (1935-1938), The Transitional Levels, Stage 3 (1938-1946), and The Rock, Stage 4 (1946-1950). The paradox of co-existing pattern and flux in Stevens' symbols emerges from his overriding dualistic uncertainties.
Identifier: 13830 (digitool), FADT13830 (IID), fau:10658 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1976.
Subject(s): Literature, American
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13830
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.