“Co-opted and Obliterated Echo”—Formal Poetry and the Negotiation of Identities

Abstract

“‘Co-opted and Obliterated Echo’—Formal Poetry and the Negotiation of Identities” investigates the use and functionalisation of formal patterns of verse in the construction of poets' identities. The main contention is that, despite the predominance of free verse, modern poets tend to fall back on formal structures in times of identity crises, because these formal features facilitate a framework for reconstructions and negotiations of identity. Writing within these formal structures eventually leads to a (re)consolidation of identity and thus a successful management of the respective crisis. Based on a mixture of theories taken from classical identity studies, semiotics, psychotherapy and art therapy, the essay offers close readings of two poems—Seamus Heaney's “Clearances IV” and Timothy Steele's “Baker Beach at Sunset”—which exemplify the range and possibilities of functionalising formal verse patterns in the context of identity construction and negotiation.