The Poetics of Enquiry in Ronald Duncan’s Man

John Holmes

doi:10.1080/03080188.2023.2193793

The Poetics of Enquiry in Ronald Duncan’s Man

John Holmes^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

In his cosmological epic Man, Ronald Duncan attempted to bridge the perceived divide between science and poetry. To do so, he had to find an aesthetically effective way to incorporate scientific data into poetry while using the form of the modernist long poem to replicate the insatiable processes of enquiry that he saw as defining science itself. Duncan’s dialogic engagement with science and scientists instigated in turn the creation of a new kind of reference work, The Encyclopaedia of Ignorance, sharing and promoting the same conception of science as Man itself.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	511-523
Number of pages	13
Journal	Interdisciplinary Science Reviews
Volume	48
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/03080188.2023.2193793
Publication status	Published - 16 Aug 2023

Bibliographical note

This article appeared in a special issue of Interdisciplinary Science Reviews co-edited by Holmes. Holmes and Gamez-Perez both edited each article in the issue, as well as determining the contents and sequence of the issue as a whole.

Keywords

Ronald Duncan
epic
encyclopaedia
poetics
science
modernism
cosmology
‘Two Cultures' debate

Access to Document

10.1080/03080188.2023.2193793Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)

HolmesJ2023PoeticsFinal published version, 1.36 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)

1 Special issue

Interfaces: Studies in Science and Literature
Gamez-Perez, C. (Guest editor) & Holmes, J. (Guest editor), 16 Aug 2023, In: Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. 48, 3, p. 425-583 159 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Special issue › peer-review

Cite this

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The Poetics of Enquiry in Ronald Duncan’s Man

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Research output

Interfaces: Studies in Science and Literature

Cite this