The Shattered Language of Dreams in Lyn Hejinian’s The Book of a Thousand Eyes
L. M. González Rodríguez
International Journal of English Studies July 1, 2025 DOI: 10.6018/ijes.600971 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Linguistics |
| Key points | Argues that Hejinian's The Book of a Thousand Eyes pursues a poetics of indeterminacy, using dreams as a framing structure to distort reality, treat art as a radical construct, and keep poetic language shifty and elusive while exploring the writing process and consciousness. |
Abstract
Lyn Hejinian, a prominent figure in Language poetry, is strongly committed to the task of dismantling poetic conventions by envisaging a new language that resists the constraints of linearity and referentiality. In The Book of a Thousand Eyes (2012), she explores the dream world in order to delve into the mechanics of the writing process, while playing with language and experience at various stages of consciousness and perception. This paper examines Hejinian’s philosophical and epistemological quest for meaning and knowledge, focusing on her scrutiny of language as a medium for expressing and shaping the poet’s experiences. A further aim is to analyze her poetics of indeterminacy and her use of the framing structure of dreams to distort reality, emphasize the role of art as a radical construct, and foster a dynamic space where the poetic language is shifty and elusive.