Showing papers on "Lyricism published in 1993"

"A Man's Story Is His Gris-gris": Ishmael Reed's Neo-HooDoo Aesthetic and the African-American Tradition

Abstract: The story is the gris-gris is the self: this equation by Raven Quickskill, fugitive poet of Flight to Canada, lies at the heart of this attempt to locate Ishmael Reed within the African-American literary tradition. Superficially, Reed's metafictional and satirical novelistic techniques2 seem to ally him more closely with the postmodern mainstream than with the lyricism and search for community which has characterized so much recent AfricanAmerican literature. My contention here, however, is that this superficial dissimilarity is precisely what places Reed firmly in the African-American tradition. His aesthetic could be called "art as subversion," in that it takes the superficial forms of a dominant culture and transforms their meaning while leaving the forms themselves intact: a polemical approach which has been fundamental to African-American writing since its inception. Reed's formulation for this transformation of meaning is Neo-HooDoo,3 in which the story, the gris-gris, and the self become equated in a way that accords with the African understanding of the nature and function of art, but which redefines this understanding in a North American context. Since Neo-HooDoo has its origins in Voodoo,4 this examination of Reed's linguistic acts of subversion will begin in Haiti, or, more specifically, with a brief consideration of the nature and function of Voodoo art as it influences

"Aesthetics" and the Rise of Lyric in the Eighteenth Century

Abstract: Alors que le dix-huitieme siecle se voit lui-meme comme une epoque lyrique par excleence, l'histoire litteraire privilegie l'aspect philosophique de la pensee plutot que la poesie. L'A. examine les oppositions entre epique et lyrique, narration et expression, objectif et subjectif a partir de la querelle des Anciens et des Modernes et des theories artistiques qui en decoulent.

The Songs of Elsa Respighi Olivieri Sangiacomo.

Abstract: This monograph includes limited biographical and historical data intended to show Elsa Respighi's chronological and technical relationship within the sphere of twentieth century vocal music. The poets who provided text for her music are reviewed, and a discussion of her treatment of the text is summarized. This study deals with twelve solo songs of Elsa Respighi. Each song was inspected for the following: melody, harmony, form and piano accompaniment. These elements were discussed from the viewpoint of the performer. The survey yielded the following information about each song. Seven songs list the name of a poet, five songs do not. Six songs are written in stanzaic form, five are in free form and one is in a narrative/dialogue form. Elsa Respighi's compositional style is planned. Her musical form evolves from the form of the poetry. The accent of the text is the structure by which she creates her melodies. The poetry and the melodic line serve as ways to sectionalize the songs. The tonal shifts define the sections and support the poetic mood changes. The piano accompaniment enhances the melodies and promotes text painting.

On the Two Voices of the Birds in Birds

Abstract: In his 1980 article ‘Aristophanes as a Lyric Poet’, Michael Silk argued that Aristophanes' lyrics, widely admired as jewels of Greek poetry, were overrated. He faulted them above all for lack of intellectual point and profundity, for a generic, timeless lyricism that lacked a genuine metaphysical dimension. To the hoopoe's song in Birds , for example, he juxtaposed Pindar's famous— ( Pythian 8.95-97) Creatures of a day! What is someone? What is no one? Man: a shadow's dream. But when god-given glory comes a bright light shines upon us and our life is sweet. (tr. Frank J. Nisetich)

Echoes of the Sunbird: An Anthology of Contemporary African Poetry

Abstract: This volume presents a broad overview of the work of seven of Africa's leading poets. Five of them have received international recognition: Niyi Osundare and Chinua Achebe, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize; Osundare and Antonio Jacinto, the Noma Prize; and Jose Craveirinha, the Camoes Prize. The poems concern political, personal, and social themes and are written with aesthetic simplicity and lyricism. The contributors believe that poets, rather than being exiles from their communities, are prophets, seers, and singers and have a place in everyday life. Most of the poems have been published previously. Several, however, are new, and their appearance in this volume along with an introductory essay written by each poet, makes this anthology important, original, and fresh.