Using our previous methods of analysis on Mallarme's work
creates a few difficulties based on the difference between these pieces and the
work of Carroll and Lear, but it may also provide some meaningful insight. We
may focus mainly on content, as we did for most of Carroll's writing, excluding
the mouse's tail/tale poem. In this sense, "A Dice Throw" reads
similarly to many other poems; its meaning is not direct, yet we are unlikely
to apply the term "nonsense" to it. The presence of recurring themes
throughout the poem provides continuity and allows us to hold some expectations
that are accordingly met.
With Lear's limericks, we spoke about how the form
"carries" the poem, i.e. the form prevails over to the content to the
extent that the content's sense may be sacrificed to preserve the form. This
does not seem to be true in regards to Mallarme, yet form is vital in a
different way. There are many passages where the form and content reflect upon
each other. Additionally, the element of sound links to content and form (and
also plays a role in Carroll's and Lear's works). For example, "will falter / and fall / sheer
folly" (168) provides a visual falling motion whilst the alliterating f-sound ties the lines together. The
polysemy of fall here (meaning a
physical fall or a metaphorical fall, e.g. failure) vaguely represents the
homophony of tail/tale by Carroll,
which shows that Mallarme also plays close attention to language and uses it as
a multipurpose object. (Note: I am not sure if the polysemy of fall applies to the untranslated work,
but I still think it's presence in the English translation holds some
relevance.)
Mallarme makes analysis difficult with the very open
interpretation possibilities of his work. Depending on whether the reader
focuses on a visual, auditory, or purely content-based reading (or a
combination of these), the meaning they produce may be completely different
from when they focus from a different angle. Also, Mallarme's writing is the
farthest from our world that we have experienced so far. Both Carroll's and
Lear's writing are based on our world with a twist that defies our expectations
of what roles people, animals, and objects fulfill. Mallarme's, on the other
hand, provides content that does not necessarily defy our views of what is
normal, but disturbs our sense of continuity in both form and content. In
regards to form, the structure of the poem is so out of the ordinary that we
may disagree upon which order to read the lines. For content, concepts and
themes are brought up in a way that we must link them together on our own;
there is not distinct plot or meaning (and this holds true for many poems). For
these reasons, I perceive Mallarme's language as a bit more nonsensical than
that of Carroll or Lear because it breaks more of our expectations that those
it meets. However, it is only this balance between sense and nonsense, i.e. the
inclusion of worldly concepts, themes, and events, that allows the nonsense
aspect to unfold.
Hi Nicole, I liked your analysis of Mallarme. I agree, with Mallarme open to interpretation it makes it difficult to truly delve into the nonsensical aspects of the poem. Often times, nonsense is purely defined by its ability to defy the societal standards and limitations that we are surrounded by. However, Mallarme goes beyond defiance of societal expectations, instead creates a poem that is purely nonsensical. While he does play on word usage using polysemy, I also found that he emphasized imagery throughout his poem. For instance, In Mallarme’s poem A Dice Throw, “WHETHER/the/chasm/whitish/fulltide/frenzied”(164). Mallarme uses the imagery of the language and the spaces between the words to allow for the reader to create personal relationships with specific words and images. Such construction of a relationship between the text allows for each individual reader to create different interpretations of the text itself.
ReplyDeleteNicole did a great job of pointing out the fact that the meaning of the poem “Dice Throw” is not objective in any particular way, and it does evoke some aspect of continuity. I agree that for this reason, the poem does not necessarily have to be categorized as nonsensical. In this poem, the author uses the blank space as another avenue for form and meaning to reflect upon each other. I found what was interesting in Nicole’s post was that she said, “Both Carroll's and Lear's writing are based on our world with a twist that defies our expectations of what roles people, animals, and objects fulfill. Mallarme's, on the other hand, provides content that does not necessarily defy our views of what is normal, but disturbs our sense of continuity in both form and content.” In my opinion, I do not know if I necessarily agree with this statement. I think there is a valid point in those expectations of animals, people and object shifting in both Carroll and Lear’s writing. Yet, I also believe that Lear’s poems disturb our sense of meaning and content more than what Mallarme is intending to do. When analyzing Mallarme’s work, I interpreted the use of form as a way for meaning and content to be slightly more hand in hand, as opposed to form being what makes the poem nonsensical. I do like how Nicole saw this idea of there being a balance of meaning vs. form because they can be contradictory as well as paired up to create understanding.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading Ashley’s take on Mallarme and her stand on Nicole’s interpretation. Something that we can all generally agree on is the fact that Mallarme’s work is intended to be open to interpretation. Ashley and Nicole go into greater details as to what message or meaning the author is trying to portray in his poem, as opposed to just analyzing the form and wording. The playfulness of sounds is something that was also pointed out. Elaborating further on this, I believed that sounds really also carried how the poem continued to flow. As Nicole stated, alliterations and all of the grouped f-sounding words generated a great sense of movement and wave-like motion that depicted the symbols and themes of Mallarme’s poem.