American literature; Stryk, Lucien; Awakening; Poetry; Sources in 禪宗=Zen Buddhism=Zazen Buddhism; Surrealism
摘要
This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part studies surrealist and Zen influences in the work of Lucien Stryk, a contemporary American poet; and the second part is a translation of one of his collections of poetry published in 1973, Awakening, with an introduction analyzing Stryk's style and the method involved in translating his poems.
The study of influences directly relates to Stryk's own personal experiences. During two years spent in post-war Paris, Stryk became particularly interested in surrealism, which he studied at the Sorbonne. Later, on two occasions, he lived in Japan and encountered Zen, which transformed his life personally and professionally. Research reveals that Stryk's poetic style was somewhat influenced by surrealism--its linguistic conciseness, strong imagery, and interest in dream states. However, it is further demonstrated that surrealism was merely a step on the road to Zen. Through Zen, the poet was able to pursue immediacy of experience and to transcribe it in a concise and vigorous style. It is established that the Zen influence is more prominent than the surrealist one. A parallel between surrealism and Zen follows, such as anti-intellectualism and an unfragmented vision of the world. Examples are drawn from Awakening as well as other collections of Stryk's poetry.
The introduction to the translations deals with Stryk's stylistic characteristics (concision, cultural references, ambiguities) and how the translator can transpose them in another language, French. The translation of 59 poems follows.
