Date of Award
Summer 2019
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Comparative Literature
First Advisor
Judith E. Kalb
Abstract
The goal of this thesis is twofold: first, to examine the two major themes that permeate Joseph Brodsky’s works, time and space, and see how the poet employs various theoretical approaches to the topics and synthesizes them in order to deliver his unique view on both. Second, based on the examination of time and space, this study defines and distinguishes in relation to the chronotope two sorts of nonexistence – nebytie – heavily present in Brodsky’s later works. This project demonstrates that one kind of nebytie is defined through spatial references and primarily addresses one’s location in space or one’s inability to be in the desired place; this sort of nonexistence is identified as nebytie. The other nebytie in Brodsky’s works is related to temporality and is connected to one’s confinement in time; this is what we are going to call post-bytie. Therefore, Brodsky’s understanding of time and space is crucial, for his poetic concepts reveal their significance outside of the chronotope: they convey the poet’s views on exile, death, and immortality.
Rights
© 2019, Daria Smirnova
Recommended Citation
Smirnova, D.(2019). Time, Space and Nonexistence in Joseph Brodsky's Poetry. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5485