Abstract
Abstract: The aim of this essay is to explore memory in Seferis's poetry as a manifestation of variant modes of historical consciousness and in relation to various schemata that exemplify both European modernity and nationalist ideology. Building upon recent approaches to social and collective memory, the following reading bases itself on how memory operates within the text as an agon: between ancient and modern modes of anamnesis and mneme , between private remembrance and public recollection, between elements of memory that stem from cognition and those that derive from experience, particularly from nationalist ideological premises. Distinguishing, even further, the difference among empirical elements that surface in Seferis's poetry as modes of "lived history," to use Agnes Heller's formulation, highlights the residual function of the literary text in simulating a dominant form of historical experiencing. As such, it illustrates how literature in the case of Greece remained a popular medium through which memory continued to be preserved. Placing memory at the forefront, an alternative to previous discussions of Seferis's use of the classics, provides an interpretive model that extends beyond a mere "intertextual" reading, which, in Seferis's case, has often culminated in a conventional study of sources. Rather, the approach presented here views the relationship between ancient and modern texts as a dialogical one and offers the reader a number of interpretive paths that include similarities and differences between antiquity and modernity in terms of mnemonic concepts, modes of historical consciousness, and the function of the text in representing values privileged in collective consciousness.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.