Abstract / Description of output
Ocampo’s poetry, like her short stories, abounds in classical references, yet the purpose and effect of these classical references in her poetry have not been fully explored by critics. As might be expected of Ocampo, the ways in which she uses these references to classical mythology (sometimes mediated via other poets’ allusions to the classical world) are frequently perverse, twisting well-known (and in some cases lesser-known) myths through gender ambiguity, geopolitics or juxtaposition in order to illuminate her own idiosyncratic poetic subjects. This chapter explores key examples of classical reference in Ocampo’s poetry, first giving an overview of the wide repertoire of classical figures used as a single reference to illuminate a poem, then focusing on the significant corpus of Ocampo’s poems which allude to or centre on the myth of Narcissus. The chapter draws conclusions about the extent to which Ocampo manifests a defiantly different cultural identity whilst simultaneously displaying her knowledge of the European classical canon and demonstrating her worthiness as successor to that tradition.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | New Readings of Silvina Ocampo |
Subtitle of host publication | Beyond Fantasy |
Editors | Patricia N. Klingenberg, Fernanda Zullo-Ruiz |
Place of Publication | Woodbridge |
Publisher | Tamesis |
Chapter | 7 |
Pages | 143-172 |
Number of pages | 30 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781782048251 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781855663084 |
Publication status | Published - 15 Sept 2016 |
Publication series
Name | Monografías A |
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Publisher | Tamesis |
Number | 359 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Silvina Ocampo
- Poetry
- Classical reference
- Narcissus
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Fiona Mackintosh
- School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures - Senior Lecturer
Person: Academic: Research Active