Caroline Watson, Michele
(2007)
'Ancient Springs'? A Study of Kathleen Raine's retrospective assembling of Edwin Muir, David Jones, David Gascoyne and Vernon Watkins.
PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
This thesis reads Kathleen Raine's retrospectively assembled representation of Edwin Muir, David Jones, David Gascoyne and Vernon Watkins in the light of the mode of' ...the learning of the Imagination' I, an alternative ca!l0n to Auden, Larkin etc., of which Raine is the high priest. Raine developed her canonical redress in her studies of William Blake and W.B.Yeats, which culminated in her establishing the Temenos Academy and the Temenos Academy Review. Raine is right. She is right at least that these pocts follow something ofthe same creed and practice and they do constitute an alternative to the more accepted canon of Auden, MacNeice, and Larkin. This is the main concern ofmy thesis. Whether Kathleen Raine is right in thinking that they should replace the established canon is for the reader to decide. I do not come to a decision, but the thesis may help to settle the matter. Chapters One, Two, Three and Four follow the lives of Edwin Muir, David Jones, David Gascoyne and Vernon Watkins,with individual readings of their poetry. adopting a Rainean approach, and also broader soundings in critical responses to their works both past and prcsent. The use of Platonic concepts and Christian patterning to anchor poetry is linked to Raine's critique of what constitutes the imaginative tradition, and her search for true poets perPetuating the tradition. Close consideration is given to the biographical context of each poet, and the conccpts and priorities expressed in the accompanying critical assessments of each poet. I argue then that Raine's assembling of the four poets is valid. She prompts us to appreciate a rich gathering in of conceptual, aesthetic and religious strands, a resonant binding ofthose poets isolated by plural specialisations.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Oct 2023 12:41 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Oct 2023 12:54 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03174704 |
| Copyright Statement: | Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and any accompanying data (where applicable) are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3174704 |
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