The Self Incarcerated in the Family

• 영문명: The Self Incarcerated in the Family
• 발행기관: 한국아메리카학회
• 저자명: Hong-Pil Lee
• 간행물 정보: 『미국학논집』제37집 1호, 279~307쪽, 전체 29쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 기타인문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2005.05.30

영문 초록

  In Life Studies (1959), "Revere Street 91," the prose biography, examines the young Lowell"s self shattered by his familial circumstances. Robert Lowell, situating himself in the spectrum of various external forces like family, society and culture, seeks to understand his present. First of all, the poet"s own family makes up the central locus of his self-exploration. Lowell confesses that in order to understand himself thoroughly, he should not avoid confronting the shaded areas like shame and frustration. That is, to search for the location and meaning of the present self, the poet summons the past of his own family members. Lowell"s choice of prose is quite appropriate because it is a powerful medium for the "unmerciful self-scrutiny."
  This prose memoir centers on the fragmented worlds of Lowell"s parents as characterized by the constant friction between an intrusive mother and a listless, ineffectual father. This incompatibility, constituting a central plot in the prose sketch of his family, plays a decisive role in determining the fate of the young Lowell. Interestingly, the personalities that Lowell"s parents inherited partly from their ancestors anticipates their fragmented marital life. The young Lowell thinks and behaves under the influence of those nearest him, his family. Questing archaeologically into the past, Lowell successfully charts the origin of his alienation as well as his present.

키워드

Robert Lowell "Revere Street 91" self family memoir