Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

Publication Date

5-7-1975

Abstract

In the poetry of António Nobre, essential themes are recurrent and interwoven, and there is a great degree of constancy in the images he creates for thematic purposes. Nature as it bears thematically on his poetry is the subject of Chapter I. The poet's predilect images from nature, the moon, the sea, trees, the wind, the seasons and time of day are all discussed with relation to theme. Chapter II deals with the imagery and thematics of color. White is by far the most frequently used, comprising 43.7% of all examples of color, and is thematically significant. The imagery associated with the themes of death, love, hopes, dreams and illusions is studied in Chapter III. These themes are intertwined in Nobre's poetry, and many of the images he uses in the expression of one he will find appropriate to another. Anguish characterizes the poetry of Nobre, and its vocabulary and associated images make up Chapter IV. Particular emphasis is given to the words tristeza, só, saudade, dor, sofrimento, and choro. The final chapter is devoted to the presence of Portugal in Nobre's poetry. It forms a backdrop and weaves itself into the cloth of the lyrics. Many metaphors are invaded by this pervasive presence resulting in a profoundly Portuguese work of art. The interweaving of images and themes in Nobre's poetry is so pronounced that no beginning is discernible until one looks at the focal point of the artistic creation: Nobre, himself. The poet is totally self-absorbed and concerned only with his reactions to things and how they affect him. In the progression of the chapters, the thread of egocentrism that underlines the whole of Nobre's lyrics is clearly seen.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

First Committee Member (Chair)

William Holloway Roberts

Second Committee Member

Jack Edward Tomlins

Third Committee Member

Julián Eugene White Jr.

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