Browsing by Subject "Persona (Literature)"
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Item The Psalmist in the Psalm: a persona-critical reading of Book IV of the Psalter.(2008-04-15T17:50:24Z) Maxwell, Nathan Dean.; Bellinger, W. H.; Religion.; Baylor University. Dept. of Religion.This dissertation offers a literary and theological reading of Book IV of the Psalter, a reading that is informed by the theory of the literary persona, as well as canonical-critical approaches to the Book of Psalms. This project argues that the speaker or speakers in a psalm are properly identified as literary personae, and should not be equated with the psalm's historical author. This distinction is hermeneutically significant insofar as the psalm's speaker is therefore oriented to the world of the poem rather than the reader’s knowledge of or access to the historical author. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that individual psalms may be read canonically, that is, interpreted in relation to one another and as a whole. Therefore, the literary personae of individual psalms may also be interpreted in this manner. According to a persona-critical reading of Book IV of the Psalter, readers encounter in these psalms many personae that, in their present literary context, collectively imagine a reoriented identity under the kingship of Yahweh. After identifying the utility of persona criticism for the interpretation of the Psalter in chapter one, the second chapter of this dissertation surveys the history and theory of persona. Chapter two essentially characterizes persona as a highly variable but inherent phenomenon of poetry that is distinct from the historical author and hermeneutically oriented to the world of the poem. Chapter three situates the persona theory within the context of ancient poetry. A brief survey of ancient Near Eastern texts demonstrates that persona criticism is indeed applicable to ancient poetry. The Psalter in particular is well suited to persona-critical analyses, though such an approach has not generally been emphasized by interpreters. The fourth chapter is an exegetical reading of Psalms 90-106. Collectively and in their present literary context, the personae of Book IV imagine and bespeak a reoriented identity under the kingship of Yahweh. These poetic personae, however, demonstrate a striking variety of characteristics that contribute to the overall theological thrust of Book IV. These characteristics are summarized, along with the overall results of the project, in chapter five.Item Sexual personae in Horace's erotic poetry(2012-05) Hay, Paul Jerome; Hubbard, Thomas K.; Armstrong, DavidThe application of persona theory to the poetry of Horace is a well-established method of critical analysis, but in Horace’s love poems we can also distinguish various erotic voices. The Odes and Epodes of Horace feature several distinct sexual personae as the speakers of the poems. Horace the Lothario is a witty, didactic, slightly detached expert on love and erotic behavior. Horace the Excluded Lover is a gloomy failure at love who desires someone he cannot have. Horace the Ephebophile seeks as the object of his erotic desire a young man generally older than traditional Roman pederasty would suggest, but this desire is coded and suppressed. Horace the Moralist, possibly in ironic relation to the other three, attacks loose sexual morals and praises Augustus for returning chastity and monogamy to Rome. Finally, the sexual personae of some of Horace’s poems defy simple categorization and must be analyzed more closely in order to explain the nature of the speaker. This methodology, the division into sexual personae, allows us to give a fresh critical appraisal to Horace’s erotic poetry.