‘Queer, Wonderful Misunderstandings’: Catachresis as Aesthetic in Contemporary Poetry

Abstract

This chapter offers a theory of catachresis as an aesthetic value, particularly in regard to the study of contemporary British poetry. Drawing on the theoretical work of Sianne Ngai and Gayatri Spivak, it suggests that catachresis (deliberate error) can be understood not just as a classical rhetorical trope, but as an aesthetic category with a political dimension. Poems by Peter Manson, Nat Raha, and Eley Williams (all texts written within the past five years) are considered in light of this emerging theory, and it is argued that catachresis as aesthetic is crucial to understanding their functioning as texts. The vocabulary, grammar, and form of these three poets’ texts are all considered in catachrestic terms, and an attempt is made to lay the groundwork for a future practice of catachrestic literary analysis.