Hannah Doyle

My research focuses on the notion of mise en scène and performativity in the poetry of the French Romantic poet Marceline Desbordes-Valmore. In my thesis, I examine the formal characteristics of performativity in Desbordes-Valmore’s works, including the dialogic quality of the poetry, the positioning of the poet as belonging to a network, and the creative use of versification to challenge poetic conventions. On a thematic level, I analyse what is being “staged” in this poetry, focusing on four key themes featured in Desbordes-Valmore’s poems: maternity, place, abandonment, and the act of waiting.