Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 4-1-2009
Capstone Advisor
Harvey M. Teres
Honors Reader
Michael P. Burkard
Capstone Major
English
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
yes
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Humanities
Subject Categories
English Language and Literature | Other English Language and Literature
Abstract
This project examines the poetry of Raymond Carver, focusing on three areas: Carver’s poetic technique, the effects of alcoholism on Carver’s poetry, and representations of mortality in Carver’s poetry. I focus mainly on Carver’s collected poems, using interviews and other critical essays to contextualize my argument. Through careful close readings of a selection of poems, I show that, although prosaic, Carver’s poetry possesses key poetic components that set his poems apart from his prose. I argue that it may have been Carver’s transition into sobriety that was responsible for the eventual shift of his focus to writing poetry in 1984, and I show how Carver tries to distance himself from his alcoholic past in his poetry. I also make the argument that Carver’s diagnosis of terminal cancer and his early death are not solely responsible for the frequent representations of mortality in Carver’s late work, but rather that these themes were always prevalent in Carver’s work, and Carver’s imminent death just makes them more significant.
Recommended Citation
Schmidt, Fletcher W.H., "More Than Meets the Eye: Technique and Themes in the Poetry of Raymond Carver" (2009). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 429.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/429
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