Essays on Bloody Jack

Postmodernism is a fascinating school of literary theory that focuses on the abstract, the post-structural: “For the postmodernistfragmentation is an exhilarating, liberating phenomenon, symptomatic of our escape from the claustrophobic embrace of fixed systems of belief” (Barry Chapter 4). Postmodernism celebrates the unshackling of traditional narrative and literary structures and vies for something new; in this way, Dennis Cooley’s book of poetry Bloody Jack is a quintessential example of this phenomenon. Loosely following the life of famous Canadian outlaw John Krafchenko (otherwise known as Bloody Jack), Cooley’s poems straddle the line between fiction and nonfiction, transcending genre and defying ...

Fragmentation gained reputation as a feature of culture and art in the twentieth century. It is during the postmodernism period that people started seeking the real rather than the surface meaning of literary works. Barry denotes modernism as a rejection of traditional beliefs. From the definition of postmodernism, fragmentation is characterized by an eclectic approach (Barry, 88). Eclectic in turn suggests the use of fragmented forms to incorporate the element of chance or randomness. The definition undermines the sense of order, universal truths, meta narratives and timeless values. It also rejects the distinction between high and lower art. Barry goes ...

“Bloody Jack” is Dennis Cooley’s attempt to make playful poetry while exploring the concept of lawless of poetry and language. The book is an attempt at searching the post-modern aspects of poetry that defies the boundaries of conventional poetic expressions. In “So Glad”, Cooley’s uses words scattered across the page of the book. The attempt is to show the extremity of the wandering minds of the persona in the poem. The style of the poem evokes both elements of antiquity and abstractness. It’s an attempt to unify both the character and the reader of the ...