Bukowski Self-Exploration in “Bluebird” and Transgressive Fiction
Bukowski Self-Exploration in “Bluebird” and Transgressive Fiction
I liked Charles Bukowski’s poem “Bluebird” because it was very gritty and realistic, and I really understood the expression of loneliness and depression and escapism. His work seems to really represent the dirty, gritty, realistic soul of America in the 20th century and he uses his writing to express his inner pain and questions about himself and life. He does this through writing in a realistic way in transgressive poetry, by exploring his own personal problems in life and putting them on paper in the form of poems, and great imagery in his poems. The first thing that I am going to explore is the era that Bukowski was writing in and the poetry of that period that he was a part of. Two movements that Bukowski was a part of were realism and transgressive fiction.2 A lot of the themes surrounding transgressive fiction – breaking out of norms, nihilistic philosophy, and dealing with “taboo” subjects like drugs or sex or violence – are very much common themes in 20th century literature. 8 It was a reaction to the more restrained and polite fiction of the Victorian age. 5 Transgressive fiction deals with dark subjects that never used to get explored in depth. 8 Before transgressive fiction, nobody liked to write about characters breaking out of approved roles or doing things that are common in human experience, but not really that “polite” to talk about publicly in a work of fiction, like incest or suicide for example. 3 However these are not really new ideas, they’ve been around before the twentieth century. 3 But a big mass movement towards this writing happened in the twentieth century. 3 It is not just for shock value to hook in readers. All the taboo and disturbing themes that are brought up in transgressive fiction are meant to be a part of the character development. 3 The poems or novels are about a transformation in the main character. 3 They are changing themselves or other people or
I liked Charles Bukowski’s poem “Bluebird” because it was very gritty and realistic, and I really understood the expression of loneliness and depression and escapism. His work seems to really represent the dirty, gritty, realistic soul of America in the 20th century and he uses his writing to express his inner pain and questions about himself and life. He does this through writing in a realistic way in transgressive poetry, by exploring his own personal problems in life and putting them on paper in the form of poems, and great imagery in his poems. The first thing that I am going to explore is the era that Bukowski was writing in and the poetry of that period that he was a part of. Two movements that Bukowski was a part of were realism and transgressive fiction.2 A lot of the themes surrounding transgressive fiction – breaking out of norms, nihilistic philosophy, and dealing with “taboo” subjects like drugs or sex or violence – are very much common themes in 20th century literature. 8 It was a reaction to the more restrained and polite fiction of the Victorian age. 5 Transgressive fiction deals with dark subjects that never used to get explored in depth. 8 Before transgressive fiction, nobody liked to write about characters breaking out of approved roles or doing things that are common in human experience, but not really that “polite” to talk about publicly in a work of fiction, like incest or suicide for example. 3 However these are not really new ideas, they’ve been around before the twentieth century. 3 But a big mass movement towards this writing happened in the twentieth century. 3 It is not just for shock value to hook in readers. All the taboo and disturbing themes that are brought up in transgressive fiction are meant to be a part of the character development. 3 The poems or novels are about a transformation in the main character. 3 They are changing themselves or other people or
Cited: 1. Bukowski, Charles. "Bluebird." Poemhunter.com. Web. 05 May 2014. 2. "Charles Bukowski." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Web. 03 May 2014. 3. Mookerjee, Robin. Transgressive Fiction: The New Satiric Tradition. New York City: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print. 4. "The Ordinary Madness of Charles Bukowski (full Documentary)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 May 2014. 5. Bukowski, Charles. Absence of the Hero. New York City: City Lights Books, 2010. Print. 6. “Haunts of A Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski’s Los Angeles.” Esotouric. Esotouric. Web. 03 May 2014. 7. Coulehan, Erin. "Oscar Isaac on Llewyn Davis, Charles Bukowski, and the Coen Brothers." Slate Magazine. John Alderman, 24 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. 8. "Charles Bukowski Talks about Booze and Marijuana." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. 9. Altucher, James. “6 Things I Learned From Charles Bukowski.” The Altucher Confidential: Ideas for a World Out of Balance. Web. 04 May 2014. 10. “Dirty Realism: The Anti-Social Satire of Charles Bukowski.” Wilderutopia. 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 04 May 2014