TY - JOUR PY - 2014 TI - Grotesque Discoveries and Divisions in W.S. Merwin’s “The Folding Cliffs” JF - Utah Foreign Language Review; Vol 21 (2013): Passages, Protests, & Paradigm Shifts KW - Merwin; Grotesque; Folding Cliffs N2 - Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Charis SIL"; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The epic narrative poem “The Folding Cliffs” by W.S. Merwin reflects the idea of truth as a grotesque and divisive concept.  Because “The Folding Cliffs” is based on historical accounts and oral tradition, it could be posited that it is a nonfiction work or at the very least “based on a true story”. This paper examines the concepts of truth and the grotesque and the innate relationship between the two. Establishing a definition of the grotesque, based on the ideas of Wolfgang Kayser, I identify four principles of the grotesque and use them as a lens for reading Merwin’s work. The concept that truth is distorted has become especially pertinent in light of the emergence of creative-nonfiction and the debate over what constitutes truth. Using Merwin’s piece as a vessel, I argue that truth is a fallacious concept, and that all so-called truths are fleeting and influenced by experiences and imagination. UR - https://epubs.utah.edu/index.php/uflr/article/view/1177