Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Brendan Corcoran
Second Advisor
Matthew Brennan
Third Advisor
Steven Connelly
Abstract
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, author of eleven volumes of poetry and two books of criticism and the recipient of numerous other accolades, is often the subject of literary criticism. A complicated and multi-faceted poet known for his use of dense reference and allusion, clever wordplay, and dazzling technical prowess, Muldoon is often branded a "difficult" poet. In the face of this difficulty, this project attempts to navigate a new point of entry to Muldoon's work through the identification and study of na1ve narrators, or child speakers, and to study them alongside the larger themes of performance and play within Muldoon's poetry. To do so, the project relies on numerous poems taken from throughout Muldoon's career, as well as the body of scholarship that exists dedicated to the poet's work. Gender theorist Judith Butler's ideas about gender performativity also play an important role, providing an avenue for the performative nature of Muldoon' s narrative voices.
Recommended Citation
Alexander, Stephanie Jean Osburn, "Naïve Narrators: The Voice of the Child in the Poetry of Paul Muldoon" (2008). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3193.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/3193
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Poetry Commons