A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World
Date of Award
6-2009
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Nancy Eimers
Second Advisor
Dr. William Olsen
Third Advisor
Dr. Daneen Wardrop
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Jeffrey Angles
Abstract
The poems in A Hotel Lobby at the End of the World are largely preoccupied with living in the Midwest, Michigan specifically. The poems are especially interested in political and social issues and their influence on both the region and the individual, as seen in a poem like "Elegy for a Thousand Half-Masts." Included also in this social exploration is the economic crisis as well as humankind's influence on the natural world. Formally-speaking, the poems seek to balance the two extremes of lyric and narrative through the use of an expanded, Whitman-esque line coupled with lyrical images and observations that have more in common with the work of a poet like Emily Dickinson. The poems in the final section comment on the idea of motion, sound, and the idea of creation as it occurs on a personal level in terms of memory.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Abstract Only
Restricted to Campus until
1-15-2038
Recommended Citation
Clay, Adam, "A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World" (2009). Dissertations. 3065.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3065