In Thom Gunn’s poetry, from Moly (1971) to the latest collection, Boss Cupid (2000), increasing attention is given to the body and all its functions. The metamorphosis of the body, which coincides with a physical and spiritual rebirth, plays a central role in the Moly collection, whereas from The Man with Night Sweats onwards, the body itself undergoes a transformation (due to the gnawing effect of the AIDS plague and the passing of time) which reduces it to the fettering shell of a free, rebelling spirit. The aim of this paper is to show the figure/metaphor of the body in Gunn’s poetry from the ’70s onwards. Whereas in Moly the body gradually becomes the vehicle for the achievement of a free identity, able to challenge and defeat inherited cultural models, in the later collections, it becomes a victim of natural processes, turning into the imprisoning shell of an identity which is condemned to isolation and silence.

Metamorphoses of the Body in Thom Gunn's Poetry

MICHELUCCI, STEFANIA
2003-01-01

Abstract

In Thom Gunn’s poetry, from Moly (1971) to the latest collection, Boss Cupid (2000), increasing attention is given to the body and all its functions. The metamorphosis of the body, which coincides with a physical and spiritual rebirth, plays a central role in the Moly collection, whereas from The Man with Night Sweats onwards, the body itself undergoes a transformation (due to the gnawing effect of the AIDS plague and the passing of time) which reduces it to the fettering shell of a free, rebelling spirit. The aim of this paper is to show the figure/metaphor of the body in Gunn’s poetry from the ’70s onwards. Whereas in Moly the body gradually becomes the vehicle for the achievement of a free identity, able to challenge and defeat inherited cultural models, in the later collections, it becomes a victim of natural processes, turning into the imprisoning shell of an identity which is condemned to isolation and silence.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/213298
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