Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
1985
Thesis Director
John Kilgore
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
The argument presented in this thesis explores the traditional readings of The Prelude as an autobiography, as an epic, and as a poetics, and proposes that they be considered the starting point to a whole new reading of the poem in the light of Gerard Genette's theory of textuality.
To provide the basis for the proposed new reading I discuss (in Part I, II, and III) the traditional readings of the poem and provide textual evidence of their legitimacy.
I then introduce Roland Barthes' notion of "poietics" and demonstrate how The Prelude fits it, since it is a text that contains an implicit description of the theory behind its conception.
In a next step I emphasize that the traditional readings of the poem eventually lead us to realize the need for a study of The Prelude that goes beyond the theory of the genres. I conclude by presenting Gerard Genette's theory of textuality and suggesting the possibility of reading The Prelude according to it.
Recommended Citation
Mourao, Manuela, "Wordsworth's The Prelude: Critical Tradition and Beyond" (1985). Masters Theses. 2772.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2772
