The Lyric Subject: A Reconceptualization

This book interrogates the concept of the subject in the poem, against the broader background of literary-theoretical issues related to the lyric subject. Specifically, what kind of subject is the subject in the poem? What relation does it have to other forms of subjectivation that human beings experience in their life practices? What is its singularity?

The Lyric Subject is a most impressive achievement: a shrewd evaluation of a wide range of writings (philosophical, linguistic, literary) bearing on the question of the lyric subject. With myriad poetic examples, Varja Balzalorsky Antic´ develops a rich, multileveled mapping of the various forms of subjectivity and agency in the lyric.

Jonathan Culler, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York