Comparative Literature: East & West (Jan 2022)

Decoding the Poetical Genius of American Poet Jim Morrison

  • Dwaipayan Roy,
  • Shuchi Kaparwan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/25723618.2022.2082048
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 83 – 104

Abstract

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In the 1960s, a young poet (Jim Morrison) shattered America’s literary tradition with his acidic blend of music, theater, lyric, and daring. He formed The Doors, a darkly creative, informed, and bizarre music group, with some Los Angeles youths. Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, has built a literary treasure chest through his lyrics, which combine wild lyricism with a mesmerizing rock rhythm. Morrison always believed that he was a poet, but most pundits and critics never recognized or considered him as one. The current little research available on Morrison never attempts to find out who he really was or what he tried to accomplish with his poetry. The researchers intend to solidify Morrison’s position as a serious literary poetic genius in the American tradition which never took him seriously as a poet. A serious investigation has been undertaken on his poetry and lyrics from an analytical and critical point of view. Critics have continually distorted his work with drug culture, blasphemy, and pessimism. Both fans and critics of Morrison would be able to discover the poetic tradition and his legacy that he left behind after going through this critical piece. Descriptive research methods such as case studies, naturalistic observation, and surveys on Morrison’s literary expedition has been employed as effective tools in solving the research problem. In short, a serious effort has been made in this analytical essay to unveil the deconstructive shadow of criticism and showcase Morrison as a poet that changed America’s literary landscape in the 1960s creating a new poetic renaissance/genre.

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