Wise Words and Wild Words: The Problem of Language in Swinburne's "Atalanta"

In Swinburne's "Atalanta," language incorporates the meaningless violence of time itself; words make and unmake, even as the "supreme evil, God," makes and unmakes man for His own malicious amusement. A close analysis of two crucial passages, lines 1676-86 and 1856-73, will...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Victorian poetry 1987-04, Vol.25 (1), p.45-56
Main Author: Louis, M. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
19th century
Anonymous writers. Authors
Brothers
Children
Choirs
Deities
English speaking literatures
French speaking and English speaking literatures
Great Britain. Ireland
History and sciences of litterature
History of literature
Lyric poetry
Mothers
Poetry
Sons
Victorians
Words
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Summary:In Swinburne's "Atalanta," language incorporates the meaningless violence of time itself; words make and unmake, even as the "supreme evil, God," makes and unmakes man for His own malicious amusement. A close analysis of two crucial passages, lines 1676-86 and 1856-73, will show that there are at least two styles employed in the play, one soothing, rational, and expository, the other lyrical and violent. The former style veils the painful realities of the play; the latter, as employed in Althaea's self-proclaimed theophany, forms the language of revelation, which by expressing the truth of a violently divided world can further "divide and rend" society, the family, and the individual mind.
ISSN:0042-5206
1530-7190