Date of Award
5-1-2013
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Joseph, Allison
Abstract
This thesis is a creative study of poetry and visual art, containing fifty poems and ten illustrations. It is situated on the continuum of a long and rich history of interactions between poetry and the visual arts, from the earliest works of ekphrasis poetry written over two-thousand years ago, and the Haiga poets of 11th-century Japan blending painting and haiku, to the numerous and varied works of contemporary poets and artists. Inspiration for this creative endeavor spans the works of many poet-artists, including William Blake, Mark Strand, Charles Simic, Russell Edson, Anne Carson, Nick Flynn, and Tom Phillips, and many others who have created visual and concrete poetry, erasure poetry, graphic poetry, broadsides, and illustrated collections. The visual art contained in this thesis is not intended as a mere addition to the poetry, rather the poetry and art function as a composite, an integrated form that simultaneously illustrates, augments, contrasts, and distorts.
Access
This thesis is only available for download to the SIUC community. Current SIUC affiliates may also access this paper off campus by searching Dissertations & Theses @ Southern Illinois University Carbondale from ProQuest. Others should contact the interlibrary loan department of your local library or contact ProQuest's Dissertation Express service.