Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1976

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Pearce, Howard D.

Abstract

A detailed analysis of Wallace Stevens' rock and statue symbols, as they recur throughout the poet's career, reveals an intricate chronological pattern. Such a pattern is based on Stevens' philosophical commitment to a world of constant change and elusive perceptual assertions. Stevens' symbols operate through a system of meaning which is controlled and variable at the same time. Two concepts of symbolic structure are defined: the prismatic principle, or focal point through which all meanings are projected, and the spectrum of import, the expansive pattern which shapes and modulates symbolic meaning. Symbols zig-zag from abstract to concrete levels of meaning development. Four major stages are analyzed: The Icon, Stage 1 (1921-1935), The Statue, Stage 2 (1935-1938), The Transitional Levels, Stage 3 (1938-1946), and The Rock, Stage 4 (1946-1950). The paradox of co-existing pattern and flux in Stevens' symbols emerges from his overriding dualistic uncertainties.

Extent

95 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1976.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT13830

Format

pdf

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