Couplings: Agon and Composition in Paul Muldoon’s Ekphrastic Poetry

Abstract

Abstract:In the course of more than thirty years of prolific writing, Paul Muldoon has earned a reputation for surprising his readers again and again. To a significant extent, this continued ability to "make it new" is closely linked to Muldoon's characteristically relational writing. Often described (in tones of eulogy or of deprecation) as the epitome of a postmodernist practice, his work has tested the limits of intertextuality -and his penchant for quotation, pastiche and parody has rather often sought referents in other media, notably in the visual arts. Taking a specific instance of ekphrasis in Muldoon's poetry for its point of departure and its focus, this article proceeds to address broader themes in his work, as well as to consider his practice against the framework defined by a major alternative for reading the relationship between word and image: as rivalry and struggle, or as peaceful and mutual enablement.

Leave the Hedgehog Alone! The Problem of Privacy in Paul Muldoon's Hedgehog

“…Also, the reflections on the hedgehog and the connotations associated with its image are highlighted, not apart from the concept of privacy. Muldoon's tendency to 'draw' images is confirmed as he promises "to give voice to the allegedly silent image," (1) As a standpoint, our discussion is to begin with the definition of privacy. For the most part of it, privacy is a major within the field of freedom.…”