Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin, 1968. / Typescript (photocopy). eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 311-320).

The art of Leonard Cohen has been the subject of several recent literary studies and numerous short reviews. Often superficial features of his work distract those studying him and lead them to conclusions which do not account for a number of more important qualities which lie at the center of his art. Cohen's point of view, as it is manifested in his art, is frequently given only cursory attention and this leads to a misinterpretation of his work. The critical approach used in this thesis is designed to illuminate Cohen's position in relation to his art and account for the various apparently contradictory features noticed in his work. This study consists of an examination of Leonard Cohen's prose and poetry from a critical perspective centering on Cohen's "willed self-alienated" point of view. The self-alienated center of consciousness from which Cohen's work originates is delineated and its adequacy as a source of aesthetic and philosophical values discussed. The method of inquiry is mainly interpretive, but Cohen's art is also discussed in relation to several of the main themes and conventions of modern literature from an historical point of view. The basic conclusion of this study is that Cohen's "willed self-alienated" point of view is the source of what are called dynamic aesthetic values. Willed self-alienation may briefly be defined as a chosen mode of existence in which the individual maintains a continuous process of negation of virtually all forms, systems, beliefs, and habits which are in themselves "static" and therefore contrary to life. This process results in a capacity to be self-creative because the individual feels no allegiance to a particular self-conception. Cohen uses this point of view in his art in a way that allows him to exhibit a variety of apparently contradictory traits. This fragmentation of the consciousness at the center of the art must be grasped if Cohen's work is to be fully appreciated. The basic impulse of the willfully self-alienated individual is to "become" other than he is at any particular point in time. The temporal emphasis for such a mode of existence is, therefore, the present moment. An aesthetic perspective emerges directly out of this situation. The main temporal focus of aesthetic concerns is the present and, in the arts, "moments" of perfection. Cohen's willed self-alienation does not permit him to dwell in single perfect moments like Breavman in The Favorite Game. Cohen is concerned with the eternal or expanded moment of consciousness in which the individual is aware of his life and creative ability. The values which emerge from Cohen's art are directly related to a fusion of his willed self-alienated point of view and dynamic aestheticism. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

It was the purpose of this study to introduce a selected representative body of literature by the Canadian author Leonard Cohen to local audiences.

Diss.--Hambourg, 1999. / Bibliogr. et sources p. 268-280.

Thesis (Th.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2008. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [56]-61).

Thesis (D.M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 94 p. : music. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-94).

Book of Mercy (1984) occupies a central place in the career of Leonard Cohen, as comparison to a wide variety of Cohen "texts," from poetry, the novel and song to the personal interview and music video, reveals. Interviews and book reviews contemporary with Book of Mercy indicate that the latter contains a sincere message of faith and prophetic warning that Cohen publicly defends. Cohen's eclectic but reverent incorporation of language and ideas from Judaeo-Christian traditions of prayer and mysticism shows his regard for the sacred expression of his predecessors. As a result, Book of Mercy stands slightly apart from the rest of Cohen's oeuvre, yet it is not simply an anomaly. Instead, it forms an integral part of a prolonged narrative of spiritual desire that began in 1956 with Cohen's first book of poetry and has continued through to his latest album, The Future (1992) and a recent poem, "On the Path." Book of Mercy marked a renewed sense of artistic vocation and conviction in the work of Leonard Cohen that remains unshaken today.

298 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of English, 1980

Diss.--Philosophie--Saarbrücken--Universität des Saarlandes, 1988.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1982. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 412-424).