Points of passage : an exploration of the theme of the threshold in the poetry of Jacques Réda, Jean-Claude Renard, Pierre Oster, Philippe Jaccottet and Alain Bosquet

Abstract

This thesis proposes an investigation of contemporary and near-contemporary French poetry and an exploration of the poetic imagination, using a thematic approach based on a Jungian/Bachelardian concept of imaginary symbolism . I have chosen the theme of the threshold as a way into the poet's imagination for, whether portrayed in terms of a physical, temporal or spiritual entity, it is a recurring theme and motif throughout contemporary poetry. However, despite the prevalence of the liminal image in contemporary French poetry, there is remarkably little published material concerning this theme and this thesis is an attempt to redress this imbalance in some small measure.