Derek Mahon’s oeuvre demonstrates an ongoing preoccupation with objects and things. However, their presence has never been significantly theorised. Why are they so prevalent? What does their inclusion signify? Yet while his body of work displays an ongoing interest in ‘things’ the genesis of this preoccupation can be found in the earlier collections. In particular, I focus on Mahon’s interest in the ontological status of the physical object world in poems from the earlier work – Lives (1972), The Snow Party (1975) and The Hunt by Night (1981). I also explore the ways in which objects become the means by which Mahon reflects on ideas of selfhood, experiences of place and cultural identity.
Jamie Anderson (Sat,) studied this question.