Abstract
A quotation in literary history is usually situated in a frame that directs the reader’s attention and defines the possibilities of their interpretations in advance. A literary historian keeps quotations under control and breaks the literary text’s impetus of meaning making. Although literature seems to have the opportunity to sound its own voice in a quotation with the possible ambiguities and endless potentials, the literary historical frame, which introduces and then usually explains the quotations, suspends ambiguities and tries to stop the free play of the signifiers. First of all it fixes a viewpoint from where the text should be looked at, and then explains what is its sense and significance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Moses, S. (1952). Autumn: Poetry after Auschwitz. In D. E. Wellbery (Ed.), A new history of German literature (pp. 856–861). Cambridge/London: The Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press.
Saintsbury, G. (1953). The prosody of the nineteenth century. In A. W. Word & A. R. Weller (Eds.), The Cambridge history of English literature (Vol. 13, pp. 225–254). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taine, H. A. (1879). History of English literature (H. van Laun, Trans.). New York: John Wurtele Lovell.
Vaget, H. R. (1786). Self-censorship and priapic inspiration. In D. E. Wellbery (Ed.). A new history of German literature (pp. 424–428). Cambridge/London: The Belknap Press of the Harvard University Press.
Warren, H. (1953). South African Poetry. In A. W. Word & A. R. Weller (Eds.), The Cambridge history of English literature (Vol. 13, pp. 372–380). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hajdu, P. Signifiers under control: quotations in literary history. Neohelicon 37, 457–462 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-010-0070-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-010-0070-9