Abstract
This chapter reads Blake’s Lyca poems (‘The Little Girl Lost’ and ‘The Little Girl Found’) as political fables. Using Derrida’s analysis of sovereign power as a performance embodied in the fable, the chapter argues that Blake’s Lyca poems embody the parasitical potential of the fable and subversively stage the performativity of violent political power. It closely reads the tension within these poems between their beastly figures: the lion and the wolf, the sovereign and the little girl. It makes the case that Lyca be considered Blake’s first strong female character. For Lyca’s act of sleeping, which is a form of ‘recessive action’ in the sense outlined by Anne-Lise Francois, dethrones sovereign power.
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.