Lawlor, Clark (1993) The classical and the grotesque in the work of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis takes Mikhail Bakhtin's definitions of the classical and the grotesque, uses various
other theorists to problematise and extend these concepts through an engagement with gender
categories, and applies them to the work of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. Although the first
part deals with the 'theory' of the classical and the grotesque, the following sections on Pope and Swift
seek to recognise the historical specificity and complexity of these modes as they intersect with the
cultural, material, and psychological circumstances of the writer. The methodology is not solely
biographical', 'political', 'cultural', 'feminist' or 'textual', but combines those approaches most relevant
to the particular text in question, sometimes engaging more directly with the political environment,
for example, at other times placing greater stress on mythological and generic allusions. The thesis
shows that the classical and the grotesque emerge from a long social and literary tradition, yet the
ways in which they manifest themselves in the time of Pope and Swift are very specific and
constructed at least partially in response to contemporary cultural contexts such as the publishing
trade, the present monarchy, the situation of Ireland and so on. Extending the work of Susan Gubar,
particular attention is paid to the figure of the female grotesque, a common and yet varied image that
is made to stand for a variety of cultural and moral ills in the writing of Pope and Swift. In contrast
the figure of the 'classical' woman or 'softer man' is found to be symbolic of order as the unruly
'natural' substance of woman is transformed into masculine 'Culture' through social and textual
containment. Classical and grotesque constructions of the masculine are also examined, especially in
relation to the author's perceptions of his own masculinity. The thesis concludes with a brief analysis
of the classical masculine friendship between Pope and Swift.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Pope, Alexander, 1688-1744 -- Criticism and interpretation, Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745 -- Criticism and interpretation, Grotesque in literature, Gender identity in literature, Human body in literature
Official Date:	August 1993
Dates:	Date Event August 1993 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Cotterill, Rowland
Extent:	ix, 236 leaves
Language:	eng

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