Saying “Yes” to the Human Condition: Don Maclennan’s Confrontation with Death and the Meaning of Life

Abstract

This essay seeks to establish a connection between the poet Don Maclennan’s views on death and on the meaning of life. Specifically, after exploring the various attitudes that Maclennan adopts towards death, an argument is made that – owing to Maclennan’s views on the meaning of life – neither one of these attitudes is more definitive than the other. Although such a reading stresses the ambiguous and unresolved nature of Maclennan’s confrontation with death, evidence is supplied that such a reading harmonises with Maclennan’s overall understanding of what poetry ought to accomplish.