Ontological Reconstruction: A Theoretical Framework for Resisting Linguistic Transparency Across Poetic Traditions

This paper outlines the theoretical framework of ontological reconstruction(OR), a concept developed to name and theorize a widespread but undertheorized practice in poetry: the breaking apart of inherited linguistic forms in order to recover a more originary relationship between language and Being. The paper traces the philosophical roots of OR to the divergence between Heraclitus's oracularlogosand Aristotle's propositional model of language. It identifies a parallel tradition of resisting linguistic transparency in Daoism, Chan Buddhism, and classical Chinese poetics. After diagnosing a specific poetic problem—the trap of lyrical transparency, in which language becomes a disposable vehicle for emotion—the paper examines three German-language poets across three centuries (Goethe, Rilke, Celan) as exemplary figures whose work maintains linguistic thickness against the pressure of transparency. The paper concludes by articulating the twofold structure of OR—critical dismantling and constructive remaking—and reflecting on its significance as a cross-cultural theoretical framework.