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La Grande Force Est Le D'Sir: Guillaume Apollinaire's Rewriting Of Merlin's Mother And The Dame Du Lac In L'Enchanteur Pourrissant, Allison Bateman Roark

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes Guillaume Apollinaire's rewriting of Merlin's mother and the Dame du Lac in L'Enchanteur pourrissant as a commentary on writing. I consider Merlin's state in the tomb as an effect of his desire for the Dame du Lac and relate this to the poet's relationship to writing, which is the result of his desire for a unity of expression -- to express what can be designated in the text, but not directly communicated in its totality through language. There is always something missing from any writing, but the very absence of meaning influences poetic production by encouraging attempts …