A Survey Of Anglo Welsh Poetry

Author : Meriel Owen Griffiths
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 301 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (783 download)

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Download or read book How Arbitrary One's Identity written by Meriel Owen Griffiths and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: [Truncated abstract] This study examines representations of cultural identity in contemporary English language poetry from Wales, through four interconnecting themes: language, place, the past, and nation. These have been strong themes historically and have evolved into particularly complex ideas in contemporary Welsh poetry in English. The traditional binary divisions of Welsh/English, centre/margins/, urban/rural, coloniser/colonised, belonging/exile, inclusion/exclusion, found in earlier Welsh poetry in English have given way to an investigation of the intersections and interstitial spaces of these apparent oppositions. Recent poetry from Wales re-examines traditional concepts of Wales and Welsh identity and explores the interaction between individual and collective identity, and also between regional, national and international identities. The negotiation of identity is not a uniquely Welsh concern; however, the interplay between multiple global and locally situated identities is rendered particularly complex by the position of Wales within a larger nation state and by a heightened consciousness of the pressures placed upon, as well as exerted by, a minority Welsh language culture. In Welsh poetry in English the investigation of identity is made more significant by the conflicted history of English as a Welsh language and by the co-existence of a much older Welsh poetic tradition stretching back to the 6th century. The strong engagement of Welsh poetry in English with contemporary questions of identity reveals an acute awareness of the issues of representation and a concern with the processes of identity construction. Contemporary poetry from Wales demonstrates a marked alertness to the ideological nuances of the imagery of roots and belonging, territory and nation, and to the frameworks within which identity is constructed. These poets pay attention to the connections, intersections and overlap of plural identities but also to the disjunctures, instabilities and fragmentation of these identities. The thesis examines a diverse selection of poems and poetic sequences, drawing from the work of established poets who have contributed significantly to the discussion of identity but also including work by emerging poets and the work of poets in the Anglo-Welsh tradition who provide a context for this study. This examination also makes reference to contemporary literary and cultural theoretical studies which provide a framework for the discussion of identity and contribute to the elucidation of important poetic themes and approaches. The study presents an external perspective on contemporary Welsh poetry in English from the vantage point of Australia. While critics within Wales have consistently drawn attention to the innovative approaches of these poets and to the significance of their work, Welsh poetry in English has been demonstrably under-examined outside Wales. This thesis argues that the incisiveness with which Welsh poetry in English identifies and addresses questions of identity, and the dexterity with which these poets evoke the contradictions and paradoxes of multiple belonging, offers a valuable model for other poets concerned with the nuances and subtleties of identity...