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The Fluidity of Literary Genre: Sylvia Plath’s and Ocean Vuong’s Contribution to the Poet’s Novel
Ciabattoni, Marilù
Ciabattoni, Marilù
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Abstract
Why does a poet decide to write a novel? What can prose offer compared to poetry? How does the author’s message change in this transition? Which aspects of the poet’s novel can be encountered in a specific work? These are the research questions I will be addressing in this thesis about the phenomenon of the poet’s novel, taking into consideration two authors who come from different backgrounds and generations: Sylvia Plath and Ocean Vuong. It is, however, necessary to specify that, with this paper, I do not mean to find the exact reason why poets across nationalities and generations write novels—since each case is different from another—but rather consider these two poets in particular, whose writing resonates with my artistic sensibility. I will also offer an in-depth analysis of their poems and see the similarities and differences with their fiction. As a writer myself, I feel more comfortable writing poetry than prose, maybe because, in my mind, it allows me more freedom to express what I feel and to experiment. On the other hand, I am not excluding that I will write a short story collection someday, or even a novel, which is why I admire those writers who challenge themselves by experimenting with a different genre from the one they feel most comfortable with. The ultimate question I will be answering is: why do poets write novels? Is it to increase their chances to sell? To draw more attention to their next poetry collection from a public of mostly prose-readers? Or do they want to express something they could not have expressed in their poems, maybe using a different medium? Whatever those reasons might be, Plath and Vuong deliver beautifully written contributions to the ongoing dialogue concerning the worthiness and purpose of poetry and prose, teaching us that boundaries and genres are not fixed, but flexible.
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Thesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in English Literature)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.
Date
2021
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Ocean Vuong, 1988-, Sylvia Plath
Citation
Ciabattoni, Marilù. "The Fluidity of Literary Genre: Sylvia Plath’s and Ocean Vuong’s Contribution to the Poet’s Novel". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2021