The Impotency Poem from Ancient Latin to Restoration English Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Medieval
Cover of the book The Impotency Poem from Ancient Latin to Restoration English Literature by Hannah Lavery, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hannah Lavery ISBN: 9781317027669
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 3, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Hannah Lavery
ISBN: 9781317027669
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 3, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The first book length study of the motif of impotency in poetry from early antiquity through to the late Restoration, this book explores the impotency poem as a recognisable form of poetry in the longer tradition of erotic elegy. Hannah Lavery’s central claim is that the impotency motif is adopted by poets in recognition of its potential to signify satirically through its use as symbol and allegory. By drawing together analysis of works in the tradition, Lavery shows how the impotency motif is used to engage with anxieties as to what it means to enact ’service’ within political and social contexts. She demonstrates that impotency poems can be seen on one level to represent bawdy escapism, but on the other to offer positions of resistance and opposition to social and political concerns contemporary to a particular time. Whilst the link between the 'Imperfect Enjoyment' poems by Ovid and Rochester is well known, Lavery here looks further back to the origins of the concept of male impotency as degradation in the works of earlier Roman poets. This is an important context for considering how the impotency poem then first appears in the French and English vernaculars during the sixteenth century, leading to translations and adaptations throughout the seventeenth century. Lavery's close readings of the poems consider both the nature of the literary form, and the political and social contexts within which the works appear, in order to chart the intertextual development of the impotency poem as a distinct form of writing in the early modern period.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The first book length study of the motif of impotency in poetry from early antiquity through to the late Restoration, this book explores the impotency poem as a recognisable form of poetry in the longer tradition of erotic elegy. Hannah Lavery’s central claim is that the impotency motif is adopted by poets in recognition of its potential to signify satirically through its use as symbol and allegory. By drawing together analysis of works in the tradition, Lavery shows how the impotency motif is used to engage with anxieties as to what it means to enact ’service’ within political and social contexts. She demonstrates that impotency poems can be seen on one level to represent bawdy escapism, but on the other to offer positions of resistance and opposition to social and political concerns contemporary to a particular time. Whilst the link between the 'Imperfect Enjoyment' poems by Ovid and Rochester is well known, Lavery here looks further back to the origins of the concept of male impotency as degradation in the works of earlier Roman poets. This is an important context for considering how the impotency poem then first appears in the French and English vernaculars during the sixteenth century, leading to translations and adaptations throughout the seventeenth century. Lavery's close readings of the poems consider both the nature of the literary form, and the political and social contexts within which the works appear, in order to chart the intertextual development of the impotency poem as a distinct form of writing in the early modern period.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Rerun Nation by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Understanding Religion and Popular Culture by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Literature and The Contemporary by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Revealing Art by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Foundations for Tracing Intuition by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Cities, Autonomy, and Decentralization in Japan by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Shakespeare, Politics, and Italy by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Music and the Cognitive Sciences 1990 by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Contemporary Clinical Practice with Asian Immigrants by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Marx for Today by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book The Children's Television Community by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Latin American Modern Architectures by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Brain Mystery Light and Dark by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Labour in Southeast Asia by Hannah Lavery
Cover of the book Visions of Community in the Post-Roman World by Hannah Lavery
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy