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Mock-epic elements in two masterpieces: Robert Burns's "Tam o' Shanter" and Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock"

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Date Issued:
1992
Summary:
Arguing that "Tam o' Shanter" is a mock epic, this thesis defines the major epic conventions that Robert Burns uses in his masterpiece. As well as using epic features in the action portions of the narrative, Burns uses epic convention to craft a subtle episodic structure. In addition, throughout his poem, Burns subverts epic conventions associated with the epic hero as a way to create his anti-hero, Tam. Comparing Burns's poem to Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" (the standard for English mock-epic poetry), shows Burns's familiarity with the mock-epic genre generally and with Pope specifically (Burns read and especially admired Pope). The commonalities between the two poems are too numerous to be coincidental; in fact, many times Burns is parodying Pope's poem, thereby parodying a parody.
Title: Mock-epic elements in two masterpieces: Robert Burns's "Tam o' Shanter" and Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock".
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Name(s): Beggan, Patricia Louise
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1992
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 53 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Arguing that "Tam o' Shanter" is a mock epic, this thesis defines the major epic conventions that Robert Burns uses in his masterpiece. As well as using epic features in the action portions of the narrative, Burns uses epic convention to craft a subtle episodic structure. In addition, throughout his poem, Burns subverts epic conventions associated with the epic hero as a way to create his anti-hero, Tam. Comparing Burns's poem to Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" (the standard for English mock-epic poetry), shows Burns's familiarity with the mock-epic genre generally and with Pope specifically (Burns read and especially admired Pope). The commonalities between the two poems are too numerous to be coincidental; in fact, many times Burns is parodying Pope's poem, thereby parodying a parody.
Identifier: 14793 (digitool), FADT14793 (IID), fau:11582 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Adviser: Carol McGuirk.
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1992.
Subject(s): Literature, English
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14793
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.