HELEN OF TROY: HER MYTH IN MODERN POETRY (EZRA POUND, JOHN ASHBERY, H. D. (HILDA DOOLITTLE), WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS).
Item
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Title
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HELEN OF TROY: HER MYTH IN MODERN POETRY (EZRA POUND, JOHN ASHBERY, H. D. (HILDA DOOLITTLE), WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS).
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Identifier
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AAI8614710
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identifier
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8614710
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Creator
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WASSERMAN, ROSANNE.
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Contributor
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Lillian Feder
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, English
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Abstract
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Helen is one of the best known, most frequently named figures of classical mythology, the image of female beauty as the world's desire. The popularity of her myth in the twentieth century rivals that of Hercules and Odysseus. However, few students of modern English and American poetry are familiar with the complexity of her legends, or comprehend the extent to which modern poets and writers have recreated her figure. This study categorizes the main variations of Helen's figure and studies their appearances in several modern works. It focuses on a set of closely interrelated poetic texts that have been particularly influential on contemporary ideas of Helen.;The first chapter reviews ancient versions of Helen's myth, by authors whose influence has been felt most strongly by modern poets. These sources range from Vedic poetry to Homer, Sappho, Stesichorus, Aeschylus, Euripides, Plato, Theocritus, Vergil, Ovid, and Gnostic literature. Four main variants of Helen's figure are identified: Helen of Sparta, the maiden before the Trojan War; the adulteress Helen of Troy; the innocent Helen in Egypt, hidden by King Proteus while an eidolon, an image of air, took her place in Troy; and the mystic Helen of Tyre, the Gnostic reincarnation of the Greek Helen, a holy prostitute who accompanied Simon Magus and inspired his heresies.;The three central chapters are devoted to the major modern revitalizations of Helen's figure created by W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, and H. D. A chapter on each poet examines the literary and biographical influences that drew each writer toward Helen's figure--the "mythos" from which her form was reborn--then offers detailed readings of poems, examining "poesis"--each poet's unique textual strategies for the recreation of her myth.;The final chapter studies Helen's appearances in works by several American poets. Santayana, Teasdale, Benet, and Jeffers are briefly reviewed, then works by Hart Crane, William Carlos Williams, John Ashbery, and Judy Grahn are examined in detail. The conclusion analyses various contradictory dimensions of Helen, including beauty and rape, light and blindness, divinity and humanity.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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English
