{"title":"Wordsworth's Despotic Eye","authors":"Kathleen Lundeen","doi":"10.5325/pacicoasphil.54.2.0252","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:In The Prelude, William Wordsworth explores the complexity of seeing, in light of the density of filters through which we access the world, and invites the question of whether literature and art, as mediators, enable or subvert the moral witnessing of crises. In the course of his exploration, he declares the eye to be the \"most despotic\" of the senses, which reveals that the problem of mediation goes well beyond the presence of cultural filters. This article enters the ongoing conversation on the politics of mediation by presenting Wordsworth's epic as a postmodern experiment on whether it is possible to know existence free of filters and whether such an aspiration serves the interests of humanity.","PeriodicalId":41712,"journal":{"name":"Pacific Coast Philology","volume":"54 1","pages":"252 - 272"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2019-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pacific Coast Philology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.5325/pacicoasphil.54.2.0252","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Abstract:In The Prelude, William Wordsworth explores the complexity of seeing, in light of the density of filters through which we access the world, and invites the question of whether literature and art, as mediators, enable or subvert the moral witnessing of crises. In the course of his exploration, he declares the eye to be the "most despotic" of the senses, which reveals that the problem of mediation goes well beyond the presence of cultural filters. This article enters the ongoing conversation on the politics of mediation by presenting Wordsworth's epic as a postmodern experiment on whether it is possible to know existence free of filters and whether such an aspiration serves the interests of humanity.
期刊介绍：
Pacific Coast Philology publishes peer-reviewed essays of interest to scholars in the classical and modern languages, literatures, and cultures. The journal publishes two annual issues (one regular and one special issue), which normally contain articles and book reviews, as well as the presidential address, forum, and plenary speech from the preceding year''s conference. Pacific Coast Philology is the official journal of the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association, a regional branch of the Modern Language Association. PAMLA is dedicated to the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of ancient and modern languages and literatures. Anyone interested in languages and literary studies may become a member. Please visit their website for more information.
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