In this essay, the author will first look at the background in which "Ozymandias" is set, and then will analyze the message of the story from the structuralist perspective through the details of the poet, and the history of the king Ozymandias.
Then he will look at the uncertainties of the speakers in the poem in the poststructuralist perspective, which expresses Shelley’s dissatisfaction of being only able to hear about the statue from the others.
According to Barry (2017), the structuralists use scientific methods to analyze a literary work. They look into the conventions of the genre, the history or different forms of art (including other literature) that the literary work refers to. On the other hand, the poststructuralists look into paradoxes and uncertainties as they think that signs’ meanings depend on the perceiver, and different people would have different perceptions.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Background of the poem
3. Structuralist analysis of the poem
4. Poststructuralist analysis of the poem
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this essay is to provide a dual-perspective analysis of Percy Shelley's poem "Ozymandias," utilizing the theoretical frameworks of structuralism and poststructuralism to explore both its political subtext and its complex narrative structure.
- Application of structuralist methodology to literary analysis.
- Application of poststructuralist theory to examine ambiguity and speaker identity.
- Historical and political context of the poem in relation to the British Empire.
- Shelley’s philosophical opposition to violent revolution.
- Narrative layers and the significance of the poem’s shifting speakers.
Excerpt from the Book
Structuralist analysis of the poem
The pharaoh Ozymandias was a king that carried out many expeditions. During the expeditions, statues was erected to praise himself and think he is a great leader: “And on the pedestal these words appear:/My name is Ozymandias, king of kings” (Wikpedia, 2019c). However, unlike philosophers, Shelley did not think war starters are people worth praised. Land that won through the wars will be taken by others eventually, and nothing will remain, unlike philosophy: “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare” (Wikipedia, 2019c). What remained is only a wreck, sent to England, where not much people will know the name of Ozymandias, besides the academia. After all, Ozymandias resembles his name, which means “air rule” or “rule of nothing (Combetta, 2011). Nothing from the rule of Ozymandias is left but the air from the era.
From Shelley’s political stance in fighting for Irish independence, the poem may be condemning the British Empire in the 1810s, when the British, through the rule of East India Company, has evicted the French from Egypt, acquired Java from the Dutch, and conquered Penang, by the time the poem was published (Wikipedia, 2019a). The British empire’s violent war against the other nations will not bring Britain glory, and eventually the land will be gone and seized by other regimes, just as the land conquered by Ozymandias. Shelley may have called for the freedom of Egypt, Java and Penang from Britain through the poem, although he cannot expressly say it out or otherwise it may amount to treason.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical frameworks of structuralism and poststructuralism and outlines the essay's focus on the poem's background and narrative structure.
2. Background of the poem: This section provides the historical context regarding the acquisition of the Ramesses II statue and outlines Percy Shelley’s personal and political beliefs.
3. Structuralist analysis of the poem: This chapter interprets the poem's message as a critique of power and the British Empire's expansionism through a structuralist lens.
4. Poststructuralist analysis of the poem: This section examines the ambiguities of the speaker’s identity and the thematic significance of layers of narration.
5. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, confirming the poem as both a condemnation of imperial expansion and an expression of the poet's distance from his subject matter.
Keywords
Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Percy Shelley, Ozymandias, Ramesses II, British Empire, Literary Theory, Poem Analysis, Imperialism, Speaker Identity, Narrative Layers, Political Critique, Historical Context, Signification, Ambiguity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this literary essay?
The essay explores Percy Shelley’s "Ozymandias" through two distinct critical lenses: structuralism, which focuses on the political message and historical background, and poststructuralism, which focuses on the ambiguity of the speakers.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers 19th-century British politics, the history of the Ramesses II statue, Shelley’s anti-war philosophy, and the structural analysis of narrative voices.
What is the central research aim?
The aim is to interpret the meaning and significance of "Ozymandias" by balancing its potential political critique with a formalist study of its shifting speakers.
Which theoretical methods are employed?
The author applies structuralist methods, which analyze conventions and historical references, and poststructuralist methods, which analyze paradoxes and the instability of meaning.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body treats the historical acquisition of the statue, Shelley’s views on violent versus thought-based revolution, the colonial context of the 1810s, and the shifting narrative layers within the poem.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Ozymandias, Imperialism, Narrative Voice, and Political Critique.
How does the author relate "Ozymandias" to the British Empire?
The author argues that Shelley used the historical decline of Ozymandias as a metaphor to condemn the contemporary British Empire's violent expansion into regions like Egypt and Java.
What does the poststructuralist analysis reveal about the poem's speakers?
It reveals that the constant shift between the first speaker, the traveler, and the statue's inscription creates a layer-by-layer distance that mirrors Shelley’s own inability to see the statue personally.
- Quote paper
- Kwan Lung Chan (Author), 2019, Structuralism and Poststructuralism Applied. Percy Shelley’s "Ozymandias", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/934502
