| dc.description.abstract | Morning in the Burned House, Margaret Atwood's new
collection of lyric poetry, is a carefully structured exploration
of the spiritual dimension of selfhood. The volume is divided
into five sections which each serve as "stages" of awareness, and
the poetry is ordered in such a way that the sections themselves
and the volume as a whole both convey a sense of progressive
development. This thesis examines the interdependent structure of
Atwood's volume, tracing the gradual increase in perception which
ultimately leads to a conscious recognition of spirituality.
Chapter one, "Now there are more of me," is an exploration
of the first two sections of the collection. These poems
initially focus on the individual self, and present a series of
recollected losses. The loss of an individual spiritual self,
however, moves the poems to a questioning of morals, thereby
transferring the focus away from self to the other. My analysis
involves the perceived relationship between self and other, and
also the function of these opening sections as a structural
foundation in the volume.
Chapter two, "Now look objectively," examines the
transitional nature of the third section. I evaluate physical
existence as the focal point through which these poems first
explore the social and mortal aspects of self through the other,
thereby leading to a consideration of the possibility of a
spiritual existence. | |
