Lyric Prototypes

Abstract

Klaus W. Hempfer’s important theory of the lyric takes a particular structure of utterance as a prototypical trait. Despite its advantages, this model risks leading to a narrow focus on a fictional speaker and situation, setting aside the rhythmical and phonic elements provided by the poet. Moreover, many canonical lyric texts in the European tradition have no fictional speaker and embody, rather, poets’ claims about the world; so a second prototypical model, which Hempfer in principle allows, seems required.