John Skelton and Poetic Authority

Download or read book John Skelton and Poetic Authority written by Jane Griffiths and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-02-23 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Skelton and Poetic Authority is the first book-length study of Skelton for almost twenty years, and the first to trace the roots of his poetic theory to his practice as a writer and translator. It demonstrates that much of what has been found challenging in his work may be attributed to his attempt to reconcile existing views of the poet's role in society with discoveries about the writing process itself. The result is a highly idiosyncratic poetics that locates thepoet's authority decisively within his own person, yet at the same time predicates his 'liberty to speak' upon the existence of an engaged, imaginative audience. Skelton is frequently treated as a maverick, but this book places his theory and practice firmly in the context of later sixteenth as well asfifteenth-century traditions. Focusing on his relations with both past and present readers, it reassess his place in the English literary canon.