Depuis plusieurs décennies, la critique américaine bouscule les limites traditionnelles du concept de « canon ». Les « grands » auteurs n’ont pas pour autant été congédiés et la notion de canon continue à jouer un rôle central. Ce phénomène double est particulièrement frappant chez Mark Twain. Le corpus illustrant le mieux ce mélange d’hypercanonicité et d’obscurité totale est sans doute celui qui regroupe les textes composés après l’œuvre twainienne canonique par excellence, les célèbres Adventures of Huckleberry Finn : le Twain tardif. Si ces textes sont de plus en plus lus, l’effort d’analyse critique achoppe presque invariablement sur une problématique revenante : celle de leur marginalité ou plus spécifiquement encore, de leur illisibilité. Cette thèse interroge la notion d’illisibilité en conjonction avec la question de la « tardiveté » de ces écrits.L’illisibilité du corpus twainien tardif commence dès l’époque de la rédaction de ces écrits, par une illisibilité dans son acception la plus matérielle et littérale. Cette illisibilité s’accompagnait d’entrée de jeu d’un autre type d’illisibilité, fondé sur le jugement et l’appréciation esthétiques (des textes illisibles car mal écrits). Cette thèse cherche à lire l’illisible, sans pour autant chercher à réhabiliter le corpus, sans même entreprendre de confirmer l’existence pleine de l’objet d’étude choisi, de ce corpus tardif en tant qu’ensemble de textes unifiables à l’intérieur d'une catégorie chronologique close et évidente. Loin d’ignorer l’ennui, l’exaspération et la déception que ces textes ont pu inspirer, il s’agit de problématiser la notion d'illisible. / Although deconstructed and challenged, the idea of the literary canon seemsto have survived. This ambiguous phenomenon has affected approaches to Mark Twain’swork to a profound degree. The group of texts most aptly illustrating this odd interlacingof hypercanonicity and complete obscurity is that which follows Huckleberry Finn : thelater writings of Twain. These texts invariably call up the question of their marginalityand their unreadability. Why were they left unread for so many years, and why do theycontinue to be so marginal, when compared to the immense success of the Adventures ?Can some of the manuscripts be salvaged by means of certain literary approaches and atspecific times in the history of aesthetic moods ? This PhD on Twain’s later writingsaims to explore the idea of unreadability by combining it with theoretical and criticalaccounts of lateness. « Unreadability » as a central notion to Twain’s later work startswith the most material and literal meaning of the word – that which cannot be read – andbegan as early as the moment of composition of these texts : many manuscripts remainedunpublished, incomplete, or were rejected by the publishers Twain approached. Thisillegibility combined with the texts’ frequently decried unreadability. The aim of this PhDis to read late Twain without necessarily attempting to rehabilitate these texts, withouteven confirming the full existence of the idea of « late » Twain. Instead of ignoring theexasperation and disappointment many critics and readers have experienced, this thesiswill attempt to work with this unreadability, but not without questioning and redefiningthe notion of unreadability and its contraries.

Scholarship on Gustav Mahler’s (1860–1911) late works is often overshadowed by the events of 1907: the death of his daughter, his resignation from the Vienna Court Opera, and the diagnosis of his heart condition. The subjective juxtaposition of this biographical detail on his last works—Das Lied von der Erde (1908), the Ninth Symphony (1909), and the Tenth Symphony (1910, unfinished)—has provoked the application of themes of death, transcendence, and farewell as extra-musical elements to his music. While scholars such as Vera Micznik, Henry-Louis de La Grange, and Stephen Hefling have called the acceptance of this program into question, there has yet to be a more objective analysis of Mahler’s last works via the lens of late style theory. This thesis explores two of Mahler’s last works, Das Lied and the Ninth, through the application of Edward Said’s theory of late style. Rather than approaching death with harmony, resolution, and transfiguration, the late artist in Said’s theory evokes “intransigence, difficulty, and unresolved contradiction”. Instead of a psychological or biographical interpretation of late style, Said’s theory focuses on irreconcilable characteristics that set the artist apart from the age in an anachronistic way. Following his more objective approach of interpreting late style, this thesis relies on the musical elements that characterize Mahler’s late style, categorized as anachronism, disintegration, and evasion of closure. Through the discourse of Said’s late style theory, this thesis reveals alternative means of interpreting Mahler’s late style that avoids the myth of the artist transfigured by death.

Thesis advisor: Robert S. Lehman / This dissertation argues that literary modernism is structured by a logic of belatedness—its sense, that is, of having arrived too late. Belatedness thus perceived entails a reconsideration of late modernism, illuminated as it has been by scholars such as Jed Esty, Tyrus Miller, and C.D. Blanton. Because modernism is constituted first and foremost by its fraught relation to time, and, specifically, to the present and its representations, any discussion of late modernism must begin by interrogating the “afterlife” of this temporal predicament. Following Edward Said’s claim that modernism is a late-style phenomenon, Belated Modernism challenges the construct “late modernism” given that the notion of lateness is constitutive of modernism itself. This project necessitates a thinking beyond the generic, nationalistic, linguistic, and disciplinary distinctions that have informed most of the critical discourse on (Anglo-American) late modernism. To that end, Belated Modernism addresses a constellation of European writers whose late style emerges in modernism’s late phase: the strange parenthesis of 1939–1941, when the war had already begun but its magnitude was as yet unknowable. Focusing on the final works of Sigmund Freud (Moses and Monotheism [1939]), Walter Benjamin (“On the Concept of History” [1940]), and Virginia Woolf (Between the Acts [1941]), I argue that the singular conjunction of late style and late modernism reveals, in light of individual and world-historical ends, an intensification of the philosophical problem of belatedness that has haunted modernism since its origins. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: English.

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Chopin’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58, is the largest solo work of his late period. Chopin’s successful combination of the Classical and the Romantic aesthetic, which is explored in Chapter 1, results in an effective balancing of structural integrity and emotional fulfillment. Every movement of Op. 58 possesses qualities of movements in a traditional sonata cycle; however, the tendency to blend structural elements, the expansion of thematic material, and the postponement of climaxes contribute to Chopin’s distinctive treatment of the sonata genre. The issue of late style in Chopin’s output has recently garnered considerable attention. Most writers focus on particular compositional techniques such as the blending of musical genres and the increasing importance of counterpoint and chromaticism. New expressive elements include manifestations of a dandified aesthetic as well as emotional lassitude. These discussions are primarily related to works in Chopin’s original genres, neglecting somewhat the Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58. The second chapter of this dissertation examines the elements of Chopin’s late style present in Op. 58, emphasizing the sonata’s first three movements. These aspects of late style include blurring of genres, complex use of chromaticism, intricacy of counterpoint, textural and thematic variety, dandified impertinence, emotional lassitude and polyvalence. The employment of late stylistic features within the sonata model results in formal ambiguities, which are particularly manifest in the first movement. Chapter 3 reconsiders the movement’s thematic boundaries and especially evaluates the juncture between development and recapitulation. In Chapter 4, the last movement’s indebtedness to Chopin’s balladic model is examined. The gradual intensification of the primary theme together with the presence of a characterizing theme and dancelike episode suggest a merging of Chopin’s balladic practice with rondo form to create an end-directed hybrid structure. This study not only encourages further research into the implications of Chopin’s late style for his larger forms but also increases the variety of interpretative choices available to performers through awareness of Chopin’s stylistic features. The final chapter suggests how insights into musical structure, style, and genre might inform performances of this sonata and how these possibilities relate to a selection of recorded performances.

Chopin’s Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58, is the largest solo work of his late period. Chopin’s successful combination of the Classical and the Romantic aesthetic, which is explored in Chapter 1, results in an effective balancing of structural integrity and emotional fulfillment. Every movement of Op. 58 possesses qualities of movements in a traditional sonata cycle; however, the tendency to blend structural elements, the expansion of thematic material, and the postponement of climaxes contribute to Chopin’s distinctive treatment of the sonata genre. The issue of late style in Chopin’s output has recently garnered considerable attention. Most writers focus on particular compositional techniques such as the blending of musical genres and the increasing importance of counterpoint and chromaticism. New expressive elements include manifestations of a dandified aesthetic as well as emotional lassitude. These discussions are primarily related to works in Chopin’s original genres, neglecting somewhat the Third Piano Sonata, Op. 58. The second chapter of this dissertation examines the elements of Chopin’s late style present in Op. 58, emphasizing the sonata’s first three movements. These aspects of late style include blurring of genres, complex use of chromaticism, intricacy of counterpoint, textural and thematic variety, dandified impertinence, emotional lassitude and polyvalence. The employment of late stylistic features within the sonata model results in formal ambiguities, which are particularly manifest in the first movement. Chapter 3 reconsiders the movement’s thematic boundaries and especially evaluates the juncture between development and recapitulation. In Chapter 4, the last movement’s indebtedness to Chopin’s balladic model is examined. The gradual intensification of the primary theme together with the presence of a characterizing theme and dancelike episode suggest a merging of Chopin’s balladic practice with rondo form to create an end-directed hybrid structure. This study not only encourages further research into the implications of Chopin’s late style for his larger forms but also increases the variety of interpretative choices available to performers through awareness of Chopin’s stylistic features. The final chapter suggests how insights into musical structure, style, and genre might inform performances of this sonata and how these possibilities relate to a selection of recorded performances.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Florença, 1475 Roma, 1564) foi o autor de uma não muito vasta obra poética, escrita ao longo de praticamente toda a sua vida, em paralelo às suas atividades artísticas. Apreciada, no passado, principalmente por conta de seu caráter expressivo ou documental, a obra poética de Michelangelo vem sendo, nos últimos tempos, objeto de uma abrangente revisão crítica, cuja intenção é reavaliá-la em seu aspecto poético e formal. Nesse contexto, insere-se o problema fundamental de sua obra tardia, ou, como se diz mais comumente, de sua última poesia que se distingue, marcadamente, de sua produção anterior. De fato, boa parte de sua primeira poesia é dedicada à temática amorosa, e apresenta, como característica central de estilo, o gosto pela dificuldade formal. Em seus anos finais, porém, Michelangelo dedicaria sua poesia a temas quase que exclusivamente religiosos, fazendo-os acompanhar de uma radical simplificação do estilo. Estudos recentes buscaram interpretar este fenômeno, relacionando-o, principalmente, por afinidade temática, à crise religiosa do século XVI, que implicou, em certa medida, uma crise das formas artísticas e poéticas, bem como dos valores éticos propriamente renascentistas. A partir de seu contato com novas ideias religiosas, muitas de cunho reformista (cujas fontes possíveis seriam Vittoria Colonna e o grupo dos spirituali, reunido em torno de Juan de Valdés), Michelangelo teria buscado propor uma nova poética, dando novos rumos às suas composições. Desse modo, a poesia religiosa dos últimos anos de Michelangelo adquire um significado mais profundo no conjunto de sua obra apresentando-se, a um só tempo, como revisão da tradição poética e de seus escritos juvenis, refletindo a situação de crise de valores humanistas e renascentistas no início do século XVI. / Michelangelo Buonarroti (Florence, 1475 Rome, 1564) was the author of a not so vast poetic work, written in the course of almost all his life, alongside with his other artistic activities. Better known, in the past, mainly for its expressive and documental qualities, Michelangelos poetry has been subjected, in recent times, to a wide critical review, whose purpose is to reevaluate it in its poetical and formal aspects. In this context, the problem of his late poetry emerges as a fundamental one, as it drastically distinguishes itself from all his previous works. In fact, a great part of his first poetry is devoted to love themes, and its main style feature is the taste for formal difficulty. In his late years, however, Michelangelo would commit his verses almost exclusively to religious themes, alongside with a radical style simplification. Recent studies tried to understand this phenomenon, relating it mainly to the 16th century religious crisis, which implied, to a certain extent, the crisis of artistic and poetic forms, as well as Renascences ethical values. After contacting new religious ideas, many of reformist content (whose possible sources would be Vittoria Colonna and the spirituali circle of Juan de Valdés), Michelangelo had proposed a whole new set of poetic values, taking new paths with his compositions. In this sense, Michelangelos late poetry acquires a deeper meaning if looked against his work as a whole presenting itself, at one time, as a review of poetic tradition and of his own early writings, thus reflecting the crisis of humanist values in the first half of the 16th century.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Florença, 1475 Roma, 1564) foi o autor de uma não muito vasta obra poética, escrita ao longo de praticamente toda a sua vida, em paralelo às suas atividades artísticas. Apreciada, no passado, principalmente por conta de seu caráter expressivo ou documental, a obra poética de Michelangelo vem sendo, nos últimos tempos, objeto de uma abrangente revisão crítica, cuja intenção é reavaliá-la em seu aspecto poético e formal. Nesse contexto, insere-se o problema fundamental de sua obra tardia, ou, como se diz mais comumente, de sua última poesia que se distingue, marcadamente, de sua produção anterior. De fato, boa parte de sua primeira poesia é dedicada à temática amorosa, e apresenta, como característica central de estilo, o gosto pela dificuldade formal. Em seus anos finais, porém, Michelangelo dedicaria sua poesia a temas quase que exclusivamente religiosos, fazendo-os acompanhar de uma radical simplificação do estilo. Estudos recentes buscaram interpretar este fenômeno, relacionando-o, principalmente, por afinidade temática, à crise religiosa do século XVI, que implicou, em certa medida, uma crise das formas artísticas e poéticas, bem como dos valores éticos propriamente renascentistas. A partir de seu contato com novas ideias religiosas, muitas de cunho reformista (cujas fontes possíveis seriam Vittoria Colonna e o grupo dos spirituali, reunido em torno de Juan de Valdés), Michelangelo teria buscado propor uma nova poética, dando novos rumos às suas composições. Desse modo, a poesia religiosa dos últimos anos de Michelangelo adquire um significado mais profundo no conjunto de sua obra apresentando-se, a um só tempo, como revisão da tradição poética e de seus escritos juvenis, refletindo a situação de crise de valores humanistas e renascentistas no início do século XVI. / Michelangelo Buonarroti (Florence, 1475 Rome, 1564) was the author of a not so vast poetic work, written in the course of almost all his life, alongside with his other artistic activities. Better known, in the past, mainly for its expressive and documental qualities, Michelangelos poetry has been subjected, in recent times, to a wide critical review, whose purpose is to reevaluate it in its poetical and formal aspects. In this context, the problem of his late poetry emerges as a fundamental one, as it drastically distinguishes itself from all his previous works. In fact, a great part of his first poetry is devoted to love themes, and its main style feature is the taste for formal difficulty. In his late years, however, Michelangelo would commit his verses almost exclusively to religious themes, alongside with a radical style simplification. Recent studies tried to understand this phenomenon, relating it mainly to the 16th century religious crisis, which implied, to a certain extent, the crisis of artistic and poetic forms, as well as Renascences ethical values. After contacting new religious ideas, many of reformist content (whose possible sources would be Vittoria Colonna and the spirituali circle of Juan de Valdés), Michelangelo had proposed a whole new set of poetic values, taking new paths with his compositions. In this sense, Michelangelos late poetry acquires a deeper meaning if looked against his work as a whole presenting itself, at one time, as a review of poetic tradition and of his own early writings, thus reflecting the crisis of humanist values in the first half of the 16th century.

Todos os livros de prosa de Hilda Hilst possuem personagens velhos, e o erotismo é uma das principais linhas de força de sua obra. Este trabalho procura relacionar esses dois elementos e, ao mesmo tempo, oferecer um panorama da prosa hilstiana e de algumas de suas problemáticas mais recorrentes. A construção de personagens, as imagens do vazio e a caracterização do estilo da autora são eixos que estruturam cada um dos três capítulos, nos quais se abordam, ainda, questões como a construção do espaço literário e as investigações filosóficas contidas no texto ficcional. Em diálogo com ensaístas como Simone de Beauvoir, Georges Bataille, Edward Said, entre outros, a dissertação parte da compreensão da velhice e do erotismo como elaborações estéticas para buscar as imagens e operações formais usadas por Hilst em sua ficção. / All of Hilda Hilsts prose books feature aged characters, and eroticism is one of the main strengths of her literature. This work seeks to relate these two elements and, at the same time, offer an overview of the Hilstian prose and some of its most recurrent issues. The construction of characters, the images of emptiness and the characterization of the authors style are axes that structure each one of the three chapters, in which questions such as the construction of literary space and the philosophical investigations contained in the fictional text are also addressed. In dialogue with such essayists as Simone de Beauvoir, Georges Bataille, Edward Said, among others, this dissertation departs from the understanding of old age and eroticism as aesthetic elaborations to seek the images and formal operations used by Hilst in her fiction.

Todos os livros de prosa de Hilda Hilst possuem personagens velhos, e o erotismo é uma das principais linhas de força de sua obra. Este trabalho procura relacionar esses dois elementos e, ao mesmo tempo, oferecer um panorama da prosa hilstiana e de algumas de suas problemáticas mais recorrentes. A construção de personagens, as imagens do vazio e a caracterização do estilo da autora são eixos que estruturam cada um dos três capítulos, nos quais se abordam, ainda, questões como a construção do espaço literário e as investigações filosóficas contidas no texto ficcional. Em diálogo com ensaístas como Simone de Beauvoir, Georges Bataille, Edward Said, entre outros, a dissertação parte da compreensão da velhice e do erotismo como elaborações estéticas para buscar as imagens e operações formais usadas por Hilst em sua ficção. / All of Hilda Hilsts prose books feature aged characters, and eroticism is one of the main strengths of her literature. This work seeks to relate these two elements and, at the same time, offer an overview of the Hilstian prose and some of its most recurrent issues. The construction of characters, the images of emptiness and the characterization of the authors style are axes that structure each one of the three chapters, in which questions such as the construction of literary space and the philosophical investigations contained in the fictional text are also addressed. In dialogue with such essayists as Simone de Beauvoir, Georges Bataille, Edward Said, among others, this dissertation departs from the understanding of old age and eroticism as aesthetic elaborations to seek the images and formal operations used by Hilst in her fiction.