The Poetics of Analogy: On Polysemy in Cavafy’s Early Poetry

Abstract

Anthony, Dracopoulos: The Poetics of Analogy: Polysemy in Cavafy’s Early Poetry. The work of C. P. Cavafy is uniquely positioned to provide the basis for a systematic study of the issues of polysemy and ambiguity within the context of modernist poetics. More than a century after the first review of his poetry, his work continues to challenge critics to discover it anew, promising the adventure of yet another new reading. The paper concentrates on the function of polysemy in Cavafy’s early poetry. It argues that the openness of Cavafy’s early poetry relies on a carefully constructed poetics of analogy, which allows diverse interpretations within the thematic framework of each poem.