On Different Models for Lyric Poems

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (3): 98-104.

• Studies in Western Literary Theory • Previous Articles Next Articles

On Different Models for Lyric Poems

Jonathan Culler, Cao Danhong

English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University; School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University

Online:2018-05-25 Published:2018-10-19
About author:Jonathan Culler is a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.(14853), USA. Cao Danhong is an associate professor at School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. Her research interests include translation studies and literary theory,

Abstract

Abstract: Two conceptions of the lyric have come to dominate the study of poetry in the Anglo-American world: the Romantic model, which considers lyric as an intense expression of subjective experience and emotion, and the mimetic model that treats poetry as the thought or speech of a persona created by the poet, therefore adopting methods and strategies used in analysing fictional texts. Neither of these two can be the "default model" for describing and interpreting lyrics because of their neglect of the fundamental characteristics of lyrics: all those elements which are fundamentally directions for performance rather than representations. Moreover, while lyrics may contain fictional elements in general they do not create fictional worlds but make statements about our world. And while some poems work to induce readers to imagine a human subject and a speaking voice, for many the vocal effects are what can be called "voicing" rather than mimesis of voice.

Key words: lyric, performance, vocal effects, voice, voicing

Jonathan Culler, Cao Danhong . On Different Models for Lyric Poems [J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2018, 38(3): 98-104.

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On Different Models for Lyric Poems

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