Every poem drees its weird: interpretation and textual problems in the poetry of Louis Macneice

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with textual error and texual problems in the poetry of Louis MacNeice. It identifies a range of textual problems through a close examination of various texts and documents, especially his Collected Poems. It undertakes an analysis of the way that these problems are interpreted — and misinterpreted — in the commentary and criticism that has grown around MacNeice's work since his death, and it addresses how these intepretations affect our understanding of the nature and quality of his poetry.