(forgive us,o life!the sin of Death : A Critical Reading of Michael Riffaterre's Semiotics of Poetry

The objectives of this article are two-fold: in part a presentation of Riffaterres semiotic-based analysis of poetry, and in part an examination of its problems and predicaments, using modern experimental poetry by way of example. Due to the fact that Semiotics of Poetry was introduced to the Anglo-American world at the same moment as a second wave of deconstruction was building up, Riffaterres theory was largely criticised for not adhering to new values, or ignored, despite the value of his semiotics of poetry as an analytical and pedagogical aid in the study of poetry.The problems that present themselves with respect to Riffaterres semiotics of poetry are mainly linked to his formalistic dependence on textuality, which cause him to ignore any factors other than intertextuality in the production of lyric poetry. This would suggest an appreciable limitation in the practicability of this method of gaining an overall grasp of what poetry is. In addition, I shall discuss the problems raised as a result of Riffaterres own hermeneutic practice of interpretation, thus offering a further illustration of the obstacles encountered in attempting to employ his semiotics of poetry. Finally, I shall endeavour to situate this method in a comprehensive poetic analysis, in order to demonstrate its primary practicability as a descriptive disciplin