Abstract
Since the twentieth century, lyric theory has undergone a resurgence in modern Western criticism. Viewing lyric through the lens of modernity, Paul de Man redefines its characteristics by navigating the paradox between historical and modern elements, and the dialectic between grammar and rhetoric. By deconstructing traditional academic perceptions of lyric in terms of the lyric subject, genres, and rhetorics, de Man presents lyric as an allegorical form of rhetoric that rejects a purely empirical subject, transcends temporal constraints, and eludes historical specificity. Although de Man's critical perspective has drawn skepticism, particularly concerning its apparent evasion of history, it nonetheless offers a new trajectory in the field of Western poetics research in the twentieth century.
Keywords
lyric, modernity, lyric subject, history, allegory
First Page
216
Last Page
223
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Jinhong, and Yuetong Wang. 2025. "Paul de Man's Criticism of Lyric from the Perspective of Modernity." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (2): pp.216-223. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss2/21
