Contemporary poetry ... tries to transform the sign back…
“Contemporary poetry ... tries to transform the sign back into meaning: its ideal, ultimately, would be to reach not the meaning of words, but the meaning of things themselves. This is why it clouds the language, increases as much as it can the abstractness of the concept and the arbitrariness of the sign and stretches to the limit the link between signifier and signified.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Poetry seeks to turn signs into the meaning of things, making language more abstract and stretching the signifier‑signified link.
In simple terms: Poetry tries to make words mean the things themselves.
Key Takeaway
Embrace poetry’s ability to reshape meaning.
Themes
art
language
meaning
abstraction
Mood
thoughtful
introspective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- analyzing poems
- writing experimental verse
- studying sign theory
- teaching literature
Key Concepts
semiotics
post‑structuralism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view change your reading of poetry?
- Can meaning be fully captured by signs?
A Different Perspective
Abstractness can alienate readers unfamiliar with theory.