Mykaela Adams

ENGL 3050

TR 11:00-12:15

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (and sometimes, Ralph Waldo Emerson) wrote the ultimate Burn Book of Poetry for a contemporary audience. They didn’t write their poetry for other poets, they were too cool for that; instead they wanted the common people to love their writing and worship them. This way they stayed on top of the social ladder while giving people a source of entertainment. Hence their group name. These men were called Fireside Poets because their poems were typically read around a fire for the entire family to enjoy. Also, their work was included in textbooks and their portraits were placed on school walls which helped them also earn the name Schoolroom Poets.

All of the poets had a knack for languages and a strong interest in literature and education. Additionally, their poetry focused on American politics and New England landscapes. They also wrote about their opposition for slavery and compassion for Native Americans. Their poetry was educational and focused on the values of their time such as honor, hard work, and personal responsibility. They also managed to translate classic poems in to more modern versions giving learners an introduction to high level reading. The Fireside Poets emphasized their desire to be the voice of the average American.   

Ralph Waldo Emerson (yes, the middle name is uber important). If there’s ever a pillow case that has some sort of inspirational quote on it, chances are it was written by him (I would know because I have one). He was definitely the leader of the group. The Regina George of all Fireside poets. He was even one of the first in the group to be inducted to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. He went out of his way to go against what the other group members did; he rejected the traditional European forms and instead used newer American forms that focused on content rather than form. So basically, he had some bomb poems, but his form was kind of trash. Let’s be honest now.

You can clearly see the superiority in his face

“I embrace the common, I explore and sit at the feet of the familiar, the low” (Emerson). Emerson focused on keeping the “lower people” happy with his work. Without the common people, these poets would have been just an afterthought and Emerson knew this, so he used this knowledge to the best of his abilities. An example of this is shown in Emerson’s poem Give All to Love. The word choice Emerson used was simple (there aren’t complex words in the poem and the punctuation is easy to follow), and the message he conveys is not hard to understand.

Give All to Love, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, AKA Cady Heron, seriously, I mean it. He studied modern languages in Europe for three years, worked at Harvard in 1836, and published his first collection of poems by the age of thirty-two. In 1901, he, along with Emerson, was inducted as members in the Hall of Fame of Great Americans. He was so successful, that he has a bust in the Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey in London (he’s the only American to this date to have received such an honor). So basically, he was loved and appreciated (just as much as Emerson) in his prime, but after some time, many viewed him as just another poet. In the end, Emerson kept his fame and people sometimes critique the rhyming patterns of Longfellow’s work.

Aftermath, Henry Longfellow. The rhyming pattern Longfellow took on isn’t something you always see, but, once again, it isn’t a hard scheme to follow further showing how the Fireside Poets wrote for the common man.

The biggest feud the Fireside Poets had was with T.S Eliot and other emerging poets; the up and coming poets didn’t support America’s poetic past which included the Fireside Poets. Only thing is, all of the Fireside Poets were either dead or on their way out when Eliot was born. There wasn’t a single one of them left when Eliot and the other poets reached his prime. Eliot and the other poets were so intent on out shining the Fireside Poets, they tried to insult them when they couldn’t even defend themselves.

By the 20^th century, the Fireside Poets’ fame started to fade. A new wave of poets came to claim the throne (like a Mean Girls sequel for poetry which, in my opinion, will never compare to the original), but anyways, the Fireside Poets were officially considered old and their poems were no longer in. But don’t get it twisted, they are still the original oldies but goodies of the poetry world.

Works Cited

A Brief Guide to the Fireside Poets. Academy of American Poets, 11 May 2004, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-fireside-poets. Accessed 31 Jan. 2017.

Biography.com Editors. Oliver Wendell Holmes Biography. A&E Television Networks, 2 April 2014, http://www.biography.com/people/oliver-wendell-holmes-9342379#synopsis. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017.

Burt, Stephen. “When Pots Ruled the School.” American Literary History 20.3 (2008): 508-520. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 1 Feb. 2017

Give All to Love. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/50464. Accessed 1 Feb. 2017

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Academy of American Poets, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/henry-wadsworth-longfellow. Accessed 1 Feb. 2017.

James Russell Lowell. Academy of American Poets, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/james-russell-lowell. Accessed 30 Jan. 2017. 

John Greenleaf Whittier. Academy of American Poets, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/john-greenleaf-whittier. Accessed 1 Feb. 2017.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth “Aftermath” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [online resource], Maine Historical Society, http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=48. Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.

Ronan, K. “The Fireside Poets.” Michigan Quarterly Review 52.3 (n.d.): 332-343. Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Web. 1 Feb. 2017

William Cullen Bryant. Academy of American Poets, https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/william-cullen-bryant. Accessed 1 Feb. 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

Samuel Winston

The Original Harlem Shake

Me oh my, what a time to be alive! After all, the Roaring twenties didn’t get its name for nothing. The Harlem Renaissance was a time of artistic improvement in literature. Ironically, the African-American population being a minority actually played out to benefit them in this movement. White people had grown an increasing fascination with the “exotic” style of the Harlem people. Moreover, it was a time of expression for African-Americans, they finally had a chance to be themselves.

Countee Cullen Langston Hughes

Within this movement were two poets with opposing opinions. Especially during this time, two poets with even the slightest disagreement was a recipe for competition. Countee Cullen still embraced the white art forms as part of his life while Langston Hughes went an entirely different direction. Hughes made it imperative that black poets embrace there background and create an entirely separate “Negro” form of literature. While these two may of had their differences, they improved the movement nonetheless. Ironically, both the viewpoints served to improve the solidarity of the African-American community as a whole. It showed society that African-American community still had respect for the old tradition while also wanting to show the world how this culture is something to be celebrated.

Mother to Son
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps.
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

By Langston Hughes

While this poem could have differing meanings, the viewpoint of Langston about African-American culture can be seen in the text. This poem is quite simply put that, especially during this time period, the African-American community has not gone through an easy road or “stairs.”

The Harlem Renaissance did have other aspects as well, including the well established Cotton Club. This was a night club in Harlem that very well had boosted the morale of the Harlem Renaissance. It quite easy to see why it was such a big factor. As mentioned earlier, white society had become fascinated by the African-American culture. The Cotton Club was a white’s only establishment, however it featured primarily African-American performers. The biggest kicker is the fact that prohibition was going on at this time, meaning there wasn’t as much to do for fun. This factor is most likely what resulted in the success of the Cotton Club. If you were looking for some good and illegal fun then the Cotton Club was your spot. This was due to the mobster and other gangster lifestyle that ended up taking over the establishment. Therefore, with virtually no place else to get drunk, the icing on the cake had been established for the Cotton Club.

Langston Hughes continues his racial criticism as a result of this club. As mentioned earlier, it was primarily white citizens while African-Americans were performing for there entertainment. In his eyes, society was not improving.In fact, Hughes claimed Harlem as a whole had reduced in African-American members due to the increase desire for whites to come and enjoy the club.
Cullen on the other hand, saw this a connecting point between the two racial groups. Cullen was a major supporter of both cultures, primarily because he received much praise and success through schools that were either primarily Caucasian or African-American. In fact, he was once elected as president of Harlem’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Needless to say he was a trusted source as well on the issue.

While still speaking of society and its functions, a major sociologist had also served as a pioneer for this time: W.E.B. Dubois. Probably the most recognized name amongst all these figures, Dubois shaped what America thinks of both African-American culture and American Society as a whole. Considered the Father of the Harlem Renaissance, his The Souls of Black Folk served as a pivotal work in what America now realizes about African-American life. This work is where Dubois famously coined the concept of “double-consciousness”, which serves as a sociological term that describes every human as having two perspectives that they see themselves: through the eyes of themselves and through the eyes of others. Obviously this was a major breakthrough in mankind’s self awareness. This was a large aspect of what Dubois meant to accomplish, he want to shape the mind of the masses with his intellectual gifts.
Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty, editors. Harlem Renaissance. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1991, www.history.com/topics/black-history/harlem-renaissance. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

Leiter, Andrew. The Souls of Black Folk; Essays and Sketches. Chicago, A.C. McClurg & Co.,
1903.

Jim Crow Stories. Harlem Renaissance. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 2002, www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

Poetry Foundation. Countee Cullen. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/countee-cullen. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

Encyclopedia Britannica. Harlem Renaissance Poetry. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2017, https://www.britannica.com/event/Harlem-Renaissance-American-literature-and-art/Poetry. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

Schmoop. W.E.B. Dubois in Harlem Renaissance Literature. Schmoop University, www.shmoop.com/harlem-renaissance-literature/web-dubois-author.html. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

Wikipedia. Cotton Club. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Club. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017.

New Formalism, or neo-formalism, a poetic movement that began in the late 20th century, could perhaps be considered the least popular poetic school of all time. That might be an exaggeration, but regardless, it was definitely very widely disliked.  The basic premise of the new formalist movement was a rejection of the free verse that dominated the literary scene at the time, as new formalists poets were rumored to think of it as less refined.  Through their work, the new formalists, encouraged a return to structure, rhyme and form, and emulated the style of poets who had come many years before them.  A lot of new formalist poetry also calls upon the themes of past poetic schools, a theoretical rejection of the content of the modernist poetry movement.

The new formalist movement was, however, very unpopular, and has a bad reputation in the literary world. Many people criticized new formalist poets for sacrificing the content of their poetry in favor of hyper focusing on form, which in turn, they argued, created rather low-quality poetry.

Though the new formalist poets all wrote independently of each other and had little interaction as a unit, their movement was universally criticized all the same.  This reaction from the public could be surprising, considering that the poets themselves actually had very individual takes on form. They all emphasized the use of form in their work, but that philosophy was not as limiting as some may suggest. Take, for example, this excerpt from New Formalist poet Dana Gioia:

I am the Angel with the Broken Wing,

The one large statue in this quiet room.

The staff finds me too fierce, and so they shut

Faith’s ardor in this air-conditioned tomb.

 

The docents praise my elegant design

Above the chatter of the gallery.

Perhaps I am a masterpiece of sorts—

The perfect emblem of futility.

 

This use of form is rather different than the style used in the works of fellow new formalist poet Brad Leithauser:

There was a vase

that held the world’s riches, but it wasn’t cheap.

It cost a dime — and this in a time and place

 

when dimes were sizable, especially for

a girl of eight whose construction-worker father

was unemployed. The old metaphor

 

was literal in this case and she

counted her pennies till there were ten — 

then embarked on a mission of great secrecy,

 

a purchase whose joys ran so deep,

seventy years later, as she told the tale again,

her face flushed. It was a birthday gift for her mother.

 

Though the writing styles and usage of form between the different new formalist poets actually often had little in common, people were still quick to paint them all with the same, very unflattering brush.

New formalism wasn’t just controversial from a literary perspective, though.  It also carried political affiliation, as it was seen as the anarchist, anti-modernist movement that served to directly challenge free verse poetry. Free verse was often seen as the more “liberal” poetic movement, because of its encouragement of expression and individualism. Some have even argued that new formalism is patriarchal in nature, and therefore, many people were even less keen to appreciate it- particularly because the movement began as late as the 1980’s, a time where people were already beginning to consider patriarchal values archaic and wrong.

There were some fans of new formalists, and still are; this ideology can still be found in new writers, and most prominent writers from the new formalism movement are still alive and practicing their craft.  Seeing as we are only thirty years out from the formation of the movement itself, there is ample time for us to find the influence of these poets in the writing of younger generations.  That being said, there is also still time to see if any of the new formalist poets find substantial posthumous fame, as so many famous writers who were largely unknown in life find to be the case.

Ultimately, new formalism was not the most respected of literary schools. While some people might admire the emphasis on classic form and the discipline of rhyme and structure, many people disagreed with its message and saw it as a medium that produced sub-par work, with significantly less sparkle and shine than the free verse poetry it was created in objection to.

Works Cited

“A Brief Guide To New Formalism.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-new-formalism

Stallings, A.E. “Why No One Wants to Be a New Formalist.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2007/11/why-no-one-wants-to-be-a-new-formalist/

“New Formalism | Glossary Terms | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/glossary-terms/detail/new-formalism

Levinson, Marjorie. “What Is New Formalism?” PMLA, vol. 122, no. 2, 2007, pp. 558–569. www.jstor.org/stable/25501722.

Patterson, Matt. “A Conservative Journey Through Literary America – Part 4: The New Formalism.” Breitbart News Network, 24 May 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2017. http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2009/05/24/a-conservative-journey-through-literary-america-part-4-the-new-formalism/

Hi! Billy Mays here for the Movement! The nonconformist specialist! You might remember me from my OxiClean and Kaboom commercials back in the day! Today, I’ve decided to come back from the salesman grave and introduce you to a poetry movement that might peek your interest. Listen up! Are you tired of the open form and free verse style of Modernist poetry? Did T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land make you want to fall asleep or even start your own poetry movement? Does the emphasis on emotion and self-expression in Romantic poetry make you sick? Do you want to go back to traditional structured poetry? Don’t worry! The Movement is here for you! If you love cool, clear, analytical, scientific poetry that shook up and changed British poetry during the 1950s, The Movement is a MUST. It is by far the best poetry movement guaranteed! Shipping and handling doesn’t even apply. Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s take a deeper look at the movement poets and why you’ll love this rebellious movement.

The poets within the Movement included Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jennings, Donald Davie, Robert Conquest, Thom Gunn, D.J. Enright, John Holloway, John Wain and more importantly Philip Larkin! Did you read that right folks? The PHILIP LARKIN! As a member of the dead salesman society, I’m right next to the dead poets society! I hangout with these guys all the time. So trust me I know Philip Larkin! But before we talk about the amazing Larky, allow me to discuss what the Movement was really about.  

The Movement was not in fact a coherent literary group… stay with me on this! Instead it was a loosely tied group of poets who saw themselves as individuals that shared a common objective against Modernism and Romanticism. Specifically they wanted to demonstrate the significance of English poetry against the relatively new Modernist poetry. Wow! They were too cool for school! Blake Morrison, a trusted critic of the Movement, indepthly explains that the poets hated the social snobbiness of Modernism, refused to accept the ideas of Modernists for political reasons and thought that Modernism dismissed the contract between the poet and audience. The group felt that the earlier generations of poets lacked realistic ideas of the self and of the world. Unlike Modernism, the Movement poets wanted clarity in writing, where the poet focused on precision rather than obscurity. Poetry just got way EASIER! I know what you are thinking! Billy, you’ve told me facts about the Movement objectives and what the poets disliked about Modernism, but show me some POETRY! Woah blog reader! Slow it down! Here is a section of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land that shows what Movement poets loathed:

If there were water

  And no rock

  If there were rock

  And also water

  And water

  A spring

  A pool among the rock

  If there were the sound of water only

  Not the cicada

  And dry grass singing

  But sound of water over a rock

  Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees

  Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop

  But there is no water.

This poem section and many other Modernist poetry stayed away from traditional verse and instead used a wide range of metric patterns close to free verse. A Movement poet would see this section as obscure, non-traditional and non-academic. Who wants to read this? See what I mean? Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop… Boring! You want cool, clear, traditional poetry that fits your nonconformist needs? Let’s check out the most popular Movement poet Philip Larkin!

How bout a little taste from Larkin’s Church Going:

Once I am sure there’s nothing going on
I step inside, letting the door thud shut.
Another church: matting, seats, and stone,
And little books; sprawlings of flowers, cut
For Sunday, brownish now; some brass and stuff
Up at the holy end; the small neat organ;
And a tense, musty, unignorable silence,
Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off
My cycle-clips in awkward reverence.

Move forward, run my hand around the font.
From where I stand, the roof looks almost new –
Cleaned, or restored? Someone would know: I don’t.
Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few
Hectoring large-scale verses, and pronounce
‘Here endeth’ much more loudly than I’d meant.
The echoes snigger briefly. Back at the door
I sign the book, donate an Irish sixpence,
Reflect the place was not worth stopping for.

Yet stop I did: in fact I often do,
And always end much at a loss like this,
Wondering what to look for; wondering, too,
When churches will fall completely out of use
What we shall turn them into, if we shall keep
A few cathedrals chronically on show,
Their parchment, plate and pyx in locked cases,
And let the rest rent-free to rain and sheep.
Shall we avoid them as unlucky places?

Wow! Weren’t you on the edge of your seat wanting more? I know I was! Church Going utilizes every characteristic within the Movement and more! The poem has traditional iambic structure, it is clear and precise, and it has a realistic idea of the self (speaker) and the world. This poem specifically explains the persistence of the English Church and an English poetic tradition. Because of this poem and other Larkin poems like Deceptions and Whitsun Weddings, he became the most popular Movement poet. Why you might ask? But wait! There’s more! Larkin’s poetry went beyond some basic Movement characteristics. He was more expansive and wide ranging than the other poets. His poetry demonstrates a profound imaginative grasp of social experience and also shows how he has a greater span of literary devices. By doing this, Larkin helped shake up the norms of British poetry during 1950s and paved a way for future poets! Has this moved you closer to the Movement? I sure hope it has! Hey if you read one today, we will deliver three tomorrow! Don’t miss this deal! For the first 40 readers, there will no payment required! Thanks for reading!

By Zak Morris

 

“ART OF EUROPE.” Larkin – Church Going. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Eliot, T.S. “The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Lewis, Pericles. “The Waste Land.” The Waste Land – Modernism Lab Essays. Yale University, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Marcus, Laura, and Peter Nicholls. The Cambridge History Of Twentieth-Century English Literature. n.p.: Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004., 2004. U of Georgia Catalog. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

Naeem, Muhammad. “Philip Larkin and The Movement.” Learn English, IELTS, EFL,ESL Public Speaking, Grammar, Literature, Linguistics by NEO. Neo, 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

“Philip Larkin.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Racz, Istvan D. “Larkin and the Movement in Two New Books.” Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies (HJEAS), vol. 18, no. 1/2, 2012, pp.545-558. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

“The Movement (literature).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

Jordan Jones

What is surrealism? Imagination? Anti-Reality?

“SURREALISM, noun, masc., Pure psychic automatism by which it is intended to express, either verbally or in writing, the true function of thought. Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations.”

“ENCYCL. Philos. Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of association heretofore neglected, in the omnipotence of the dream, and in the disinterested play of thought. Are you still reading this wow I’m impressed. It leads to the permanent destruction of all other psychic mechanisms and to its substitution for them in the solution of the principal problems of life.”

– André Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism

Alright so if you took the time to read those boring definitions, I’m sorry. Basically, surrealism’s aim was to “resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality” AKA let’s channel our unconscious to unlock the power of the imagination. And then write about it.

Lets start by breaking down the root group responsible for this mind trickery that is surrealism: Louis Aragon, Antonin Artaud, René Crevel, Robert Desnos, Paul Éluard, Michel Leiris, Benjamin Péret, and Tristan Tzara. That’s a lot of average first names and probably commonly mispronounced last names. This group of people developed around André Breton, and constantly changed their membership due to personality clashes and changes in ideas, like every great rock band.

For now, we are going to focus on only one dude and see how he got started in life and more importantly why he just lurvs surrealism.

Andre Breton had a common working-class upbringing- writing poetry, studying medicine + psychology, working in psych units during World War I, etc. Obvi he’s a pretty cool guy that helped a lot of people. He was originally a Dadaist (lol) and broke away from the group due to some differences.

Side note: Dadaism= “anarchy born out of disgust for the social, political and cultural values of the time” AKA dadaism is more of a protest movement rather than a form of poetry or art.

Breton produced poetry, novels, theory, criticisms, and obvi- surrealism. One of his collections of poems, Mad Love, is considered to be one of his most valued pieces.

Here’s a few excerpts from Mad Love:

• “All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name.”
• “Love is when you meet someone who tells you something new about yourself.”
• “The mind chooses to believe that the loved object is a unique being, whereas often social conditions of life can destroy such an illusion.”
• “The greatest hope, I say, is the one in which all the others are met, is that it is exists for everyone and that for everyone it lasts. That the absolute gift of one being to another, which can exist only in reciprocity, be in the eyes of everyone the only natural and supernatural hanging bridge cast across life itself.”

So some of these sound like they belong in a fifteen year old’s “happily ever after” Pinterest board, but all of them provoke a sense of hope, longing, or missed opportunity. His writing is something that is relatable, and causes the audience to question some part of themselves or their love for themselves and others.

Gossip sesh- Apparently this collection of poems was for his wife at the time, Jacqueline Lamba. She was a total babe and a surrealist groupie. Andre and Jacqueline split in 1947, then she married an American sculptor, David Hare. During this time, she was apparently having sexual relations with Frida Khalo. I’m sure Diego Rivera luuurrrvedd this. Filthy womanizer. Also, having a sexual relationship with other women (being a woman) during this time period was considered a huge scandal. Divorce and homosexuality? The fifties version of TMZ probably had a field day with this. Anyway, it’s pretty interesting to see the circles that these artists run in.

I feel like the surrealist movement to art professionals from the twenties to the thirties is like the hippie movement to businessmen in the late sixties and early seventies. Going against the grains of accepted social standard and tradition, all while inspiring imagination and change. And then put all that on paper or canvas, maybe form it out of clay.

So back to these amazing works of poetry: Mad Love. BookRags does a pretty great job of explaining this piece: “Breton’s arguments about love and poetry in Mad Love do not develop logically or move linearly. As a surrealist text, instead the connections that Breton makes between ideas, and between the different sections of the book, are dictated by what some would call ‘chance’ or ‘circumstantial-magical’ connections, but that Breton sees as tied to the unconscious.” AKA this wasn’t planned. He let these ideas develop naturally by the lining of the cosmos. Which is awesome but also dense at times because the audience finds themselves trying to dissect Breton’s mind to understand what he’s feeling and wanting the audience to feel as well. It can almost be compared to Virginia Woolf’s stream of consciousness idea. I’m down for this.

Bibliography

“A Brief Guide to Surrealism.” Academy of American Poets. Web. Feb 7. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-surrealism.

“André Breton.” Academy of American Poets. Web. Feb 3. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/andré-breton.”Surrealism.” The Art Story Foundation. Web. Feb 6. http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm.

“Dada: Art and Anti-Art.” Arty Factory. Web. Feb 3. http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm.

“Mad Love.” BookRags. Web. Feb 6. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-mad-love-french-modernist-library/quotes.html#gsc.tab=0

 

In the 1960s, the New York School of poetry started task to intellectually stimulate minds. Located in the heart of New York City, this poetry school has very distinguished alumni poets such as  Kenneth Koch, and Frank O’Hara. The school started as an informal group of American poets who each were quite different poets, yet they drew inspirations from the Avant Garde art movement and for the most part, all meet at Harvard University. The NYSP had many influences on modern day poetry and poets. Modernism is probably what this poetry school is mostly known for. Modernism poetry are known for their vivid and exotic landscapes that illustrates nobility and materiality yet the message is usually making fun of all the “bougieness.”  Since abstract art was a major element in New York culture, the poets of NYSP combined this flare of art with a zest for words. O’Hara had many connections with the Museum of Modern Art and used his social status to create connections for poets and painters. One of the first-generation students, John Ashberry, described the relationship between poets and painters as accidental:

“My arrival in New York coincided with the cresting of the “heroic” period of Abstract Expressionism, as it was later to be known, and somehow we all seemed to benefit from this strong moment even if we paid little attention to it and seemed to be going our separate ways. We were in awe of de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko and Motherwell and not too sure of exactly what they were doing.”- Ashberry

However, the poetry of the New York School was also still surreal and merged “urban sensibility into much of the work(Poets.org).” Using a variety of New York culture as inspiration, the poets were heavily influenced by jazz music, dance, and theatre which were all on the rise during the 1950s and 60s. The poets even were widely known and respected in the art and theatre community. Both O’Hara and James Schuyler worked at the Museum of Modern Art, and Ashbery and Schuyler were critics for Art News.

The older generation students of NYSP gathered inspiration from the tradition of classical European modernism. Stephen Koch described New York School Poets as “artist [who] do not write grandstand poetry.” This statement proves correct because these poets did not attempt the common “anguish poets” style whom did not relate to society nor the use of overly complicated playing with words. A second generation of New York School poets arose during the 1960s and included Ted Berrigan, Ron Padgett, Anne Waldman, and Joe Brainard. Similar to their predecessors, they were also influenced by art, and their poetry offered similar essence and collaboration. Their environment centered around downtown New York and was associated with the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church, a poetry organization started in the mid 1960s. The poets of NYSP also embraced the new style of jazz that was born in the underground called bebop. Beboop was wild, flamboyant, and individualistic. This style was one that the poets of NYSP could easily relate to. Frank O Hara even wrote a poem to honor the great Billie Holiday.

The Day Lady Died
It is 12:20 in New York a Friday
three days after Bastille day, yes
it is 1959 and I go get a shoeshine
because I will get off the 4:19 in Easthampton
at 7:15 and then go straight to dinner
and I don’t know the people who will feed me

I walk up the muggy street beginning to sun
and have a hamburger and a malted and buy
an ugly new world writing to see what the poets
in Ghana are doing these days

                                    I go on to the bank

and Miss Stillwagon (first name Linda I once heard)
doesn’t even look up my balance for once in her life
and in the golden griffin I get a little Verlaine
for Patsy with drawings by Bonnard although I do
think of Hesiod, trans. Richmond Lattimore or
Brendan Behan’s new play or Le Balcon or Les Nègres
of Genet, but I don’t, I stick with Verlaine
after practically going to sleep with quandariness

and for Mike I just stroll into the park lane
Liquor Store and ask for a bottle of Strega and
then I go back where I came from to 6th Avenue
and the tobacconist in the Ziegfeld Theatre and
casually ask for a carton of Gauloises and a carton
of Picayunes, and a new york post with her face on it

and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of
leaning on the john door in the 5 spot
while she whispered a song along the keyboard
to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing

 

NYSP also used cultural movements as a platform for their work. During the 1960s, the gay rights movement redefined same sex relations as more than a sexual deviation yet a way of life that could not be “cured.” The Stonewall riots were the mark of the gay liberation movement when there was a police raid on Stonewall Inn. Many of the poets identified as part of the LGBT community notably Ashbery, Frank O Hara, and James Schuyler. Each of these poets had their own way of expressing their sexuality in their poetry. Frank O Hara was very explicit about sexuality. For example, he wrote about having oral sex in a movie theatre.

 

“I bought a ticket so I could be alone. With the plumes.

With the ushers.

With my own prick.

and with my death written in smoke

outside this theatre where I receive my mail.

Guts? my gut is full of water, like the River Jordan.”

 

Schuyler was more discreet with sexuality references. In one of his poem, he vaguely addresses his lover. For those who do not identify as LGBT, they gay liberation movement still created an opportunity to reject mainstream for an exciting subculture. Many of the poets would meet at the Tibor De Nagy Gallery for an exchange of art and poetry with peers.

 

The NYSP poets used New York culture and cultural movements as a massive pot of inspirations. Their unique style and serious but playful nature to this day inspires modern poets.

 

 

Appendix

 

“A Brief Guide to the New York School.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 25 May 2004. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-new-york-school>.

 

Epstein, Andrew. “Locus Solus: The New York School of Poets.” Locus Solus: The New York School of Poets. N.p., 28 Jan. 2017. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <https://newyorkschoolpoets.wordpress.com/>.

 

Koch, Stephen. “The New York School of Poets: The Serious at Play.” New York Times. New York Times on the Web, 11 Feb. 1968. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/06/04/specials/koch-ny.html>.

 

Yezzi, David, “Last One Off the Barricade Turn Out the Lights”, a review in The New York Times of The Last Avant-Garde: The Making of the New York School of Poets, by David Lehman, Thursday, January 3, 1999. <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/03/books/last-one-off-the-barricade-turn-out-the-lights.html

 

McGrath, Charles. “Abstract Painter’s Afterlife, Reborn.” New York Times. N.p., 5 June 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/arts/design/raymond-spillenger-of-the-new-york-school-gets-noticed.html>.

Katie Gallamore

On a cold, rainy day in September of 1598, playwright Ben Jonson was arrested for manslaughter.

Between his birth in 1573 and his death in 1637, Ben Jonson was at different times a soldier, an actor, a playwright, a poet, an essayist, and a translator. His fortunes and misfortunes were equally varied: from branded felon to poet laureate, from lionized man of letters to impoverished pensioner. Though he was incredibly influential as a mentor to young writers (The “Sons of Ben”) Jonson is remembered primarily as a dramatist, not simply for his dozens of masques and tragedies, but for his renowned comedies.

As arrogant and brash as he was talented and innovative, Ben Jonson lived a life as rife with drama as any of his many plays. At an early age Jonson joined the army and traveled to Flanders, where he killed a man in single combat. Back in England by 1594, he became an actor and playwright.

In 1597 a play titled The Isle of Dogs, written by Jonson and Thomas Nashe, was suppressed after greatly offending the royal court. The content of the play remains unknown as every copy was destroyed and none are known to exist. However, it is known that the play was reported to the authorities as “lewd” and full of “slanderous matter”. The play was referenced in The Return from Parnassus (II) which alluded to the satirization of Queen Elizabeth I, herself. Consequently, the Queen issued arrest warrants for Jonson, Nashe and Gabriel Spenser (who we’ll see later), resulting in Jonson’s imprisonment in Marshalsea Prison.
Jonson wrote many short poems that can be very telling of his feelings toward certain people and things, although never directly stated. He wrote one poem titled To My Lord Ignorant which goes:

Thou call’st me POET, as a term of shame ;

But I have my revenge made, in thy name.

Similarly in his poem To Fool or Knave he writes:

Thy praise or dispraise is to me alike ;

One doth not stroke me, nor the other strike.

In the fall of 1598, Jonson was imprisoned yet again for killing Gabriel Spenser (I told you he’d come up again), a fellow actor, in a duel on Hoxton fields in London. Jonson would later comment that the duel was initiated by Spenser and that Spenser was given the advantage of a longer sword. During the duel, Spenser managed to wound Jonson’s left arm, but in the end Spenser fell after Jonson’s sword was stuck six inches deep in his side.

Charged with manslaughter, Jonson pleaded guilty, which would’ve resulted in his being hung from the nearest tree, if he hadn’t claimed “benefit of clergy” (the ability to read from the Latin Bible). This allowed him to be sentenced by the ecclesiastical courts. Although considered lenient at the time, the court branded Jonson’s left thumb and ordered him to forfeit all of his possessions over to them.
To pass the time in his new home, Newgate Prison, Jonson converted to Catholicism. This conversion led to suspicion from his peers and from the courts and in 1606 Jonson and his wife were brought before the consistory court in London to explain their lack of participation in the Anglican church. Jonson denied that his wife was guilty but admitted that his own religious beliefs wouldn’t permit him to attend Anglican services. Can we just take a second to marvel at the balls this guy had, I mean, the royal court would sentence you to drawing and quartering without batting an eye. We all know what they did to Thomas More for being a Catholic and we’ve all seen Braveheart. However, this is Ben Jonson we’re talking about, so the whole matter was patched up through his agreement to confer with learned men, who might persuade him if they could. However, he wasn’t known as the most learned poet of the age for nothing and persuading him in any way was a daunting task not easily accomplished. It took six years for him to conform… yeah, six years.

Jonson really became renowned with his comedy Every Man in His Humor, which was performed in 1598 by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, featuring William Shakespeare in a leading role. The comedy included many personal experiences of Jonson’s, including prison. Jonson’s poetry, masques, and plays brought a level of humor, intellect, and formal discipline to English letters that had rarely been  seen before.

In 1605, Jonson wrote the first of his many masques, a popular form of court entertainment involving elaborate and elegant spectacle. But later that year he was imprisoned, YET AGAIN, along with John Marston and George Chapman, for poking fun at the King’s Scottish countrymen in Eastward Ho!

He won favor at court and in 1616 was given a royal pension, becoming England’s first poet laureate.

Though often an angry and stubborn man, no one had more followers than Jonson at the time. His poetry was much admired by younger writers including Robert Herrick and Thomas Carew, who called themselves the “Sons of Ben.” The Sons of Ben were characterized by the lightness, grace, and polish of their verse and by the wit and gallantry of their attitudes. Several were soldiers and courtiers first and poets second, similar to Jonson before he gained renown as a poet.

 

 

Resources:

“Ben Jonson.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/ben-jonson

“Ben Jonson.” Ben Jonson – New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://web.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ben_Jonson

Tinker. “17th Century Poetic Movements – Trailblazers, Poetic Movements.” Poetry Magnum Opus. N.p., 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F2331-17th-century-poetic-movements%2F

“Ben Jonson – His Life, Work, and Relationship with Shakespeare.” Ben Jonson – His Life, Work, and Relationship with Shakespeare. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/benjonson.html

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Cavalier Poet.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cavalier-poets

“Ben Jonson (1572-1637).” Ben Jonson (1572-1637). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/jonson/

 

Have you ever wished that you could permanently go back to middle school and relive your days of constantly listening to My Chemical Romance or All American Rejects? Do you constantly find yourself saying, “It’s not just a phase” to your loved ones? Does Edgar Allen Poe just really get you? If you’ve answered, “yes” to all three of these questions, then maybe you were destined to belong to the 19th century Gothics.

___________________________________________

This school gained traction in the mid- 18th century, but really became popular in the 19th century, all thanks to a guy called Horace Walpole. Considered the “father of the genre”, he wrote a novel in 1764 titled “The Castle of Otranto”, which first showed people how cool spooky could really be. Walpole is considered one of the first people to begin using some of the themes that underlie most of Gothic fiction, and in extension, Gothic poetry: secret hiding places, the supernatural, and most important to every good piece of Gothic work? Death. After the publication of “The Castle of Otranto”, many were inspired years later by its revolutionary intentions: “The Old English Baron” and “The Monk” were both loosely based off of Walpole’s dark tale. With his success, Walpole ended up renovating a mansion in the Gothic style, which got him a lot of attention and also made people more interested in the architectural aspect of the movement. The house is now called the “Strawberry Hill House”, which is quite contradictory to its origins of darkness.

_____________________________________________

As mentioned above, there are many themes that make up Gothic poetry, but “The Castle of Otranto” exposed the aspects that were popular in novels. Common topics that were present in popular Gothic poetry were: pain, death, unrequited love, the paranormal, horror, dark beauty, and the subjects of the poem often finding themselves in strange locations. So obviously, these are topics that leave readers feeling bubbly and good after reading the poem.

Another aspect of Gothic poetry that made it especially popular was the fact that there was a move towards making readers feel rather than visualize the poem: emotion versus envisioning the poem became a much more popular way to read. The sublime (transcending human thought or emotion) aspect of Gothic poetry is associated with men, while the beautiful (landscape, natural life, etc.) is associated with women, which is interesting because the Gothic movement was quite popular with women more so than men in America. After this poetic school came the Romantic Movement, and it’s easy to see from the poems written by the 19^th century Gothics that many Romantic writers gained inspiration from their views of the sublime, nature, and emotion.

­­­­

We can’t talk about the Gothic school without listing some of the major players that helped shape it into the iconic literary period that it was. One of the most notable poets was Edgar Allan Poe, who revolutionized poetry and other literary works by making them “art for art’s sake”. One of his most well known poems (and one of my favorites) is “The Raven”. An excerpt from the poem follows:

 

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—

            Merely this and nothing more.”

 

In this period, Poe also made his poems pleasing to the ear by incorporating rhythm and internal rhyme, as seen in his poem “The Bell”. This was a unique feature to poems at the time, which were much more focused on being emotionally or aesthetically pleasing, but many Gothic poets used rhyme to convey the mood and meaning more coherently. Poe’s works inspired writers in 19^th century France known as “The Symbolists” who in turn, shaped modern literature into what it is today. Poe had many critics who called his work “juvenile” and “artistically debased”, but it’s evident that he simply replied “haters are my motivators” to the comments and then went on to write greater works than any critic could. Unfortunately for Poe, he didn’t have the opportunity to see the long-lasting impacts of his work: he died under mysterious circumstances (there are several conspiracy theories that are very interesting) at the age of 40, but continues to this day to be the go-to man when it comes to teaching 19th century Gothic poetry.

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Other famous poets from this time period include John Keats with his “Lamia” and “Isabella: or The Pot of Basil” and Lord Alfred Tennyson, who is known for his famous remark, “Tis better to have loved and lost/ Than never to have loved at all”: this line has a particular resonance with me because I distinctly remember writing it on a desk in middle school when a boy rejected me. I think that the reason that the 19^th century Gothic poets resonate so strongly with people today is that the poems (and by extension the poets) are so relatable in their struggles and search for answers to some of life’s basic questions that we all have. Many people are disturbed by the poems when they are presented to them, but often cite the most morbid of passages as their favorite when it comes down to it. There’s something peculiar about the subjects that 19^th century Gothic poetry brings up because most of the topics are unexplainable and leave readers feeling empty, but I would say that humans are extremely attracted to the unexplainable and unknown. The poets in the Gothic school of poetry wanted to make their audiences feel emotions that weren’t necessarily popular at the time, but the lasting impressions that they’ve have on the literary world are felt even still today.

______________________________________________

Now that you’ve learned a bit about the Gothics of the 19th century, it’s time for you to write your own poetry based on the general vibe that you’ve gotten from Poe and the knowledge that you’ve gained about this school. Here’s a few guidelines to get you started:

1. Begin with an emotion. If you haven’t had your heart broken yet, just think back to the last time you were cut in line waiting for the bathroom at a home game in Sanford. That should conjure up enough emotion to get your creative juices flowing.
2. Pick a title. The Gothics in the 19th century were all about meaningful titles because, let’s be real: sometimes people couldn’t even understand what the poem was about without reading the title. One word titles are pretty catchy and easy to remember, and can also really convey how you’re feeling about the emotion of the poem.
3. Capitalization. Not such a huge deal. But if you really want to get your point across, don’t capitalize the name of a person, place, or thing.

Now that you have these tools at your fingertips, go out and spread the dark but also strangely relatable words of the 19th century Gothics. It’s a phase you’ll be glad to be stuck in.

 

• Poet Seers. “19th Century Poets.” Poet Seers. Sri Chinmoy Centre, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. <http://www.poetseers.org/poets/19th-century-poets/>.
• Poetry Soup. “Famous Gothic Poems.” Poetry, Poets, Poems and Resources. Arczis Web Technologies, INC, 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. <http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poems/gothic>.
• Bowen, John. “Gothic Motifs.” The British Library. Dangoor Education, British Library Trust, British Library Patrons, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. <https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gothic-motifs>.
• Mullan, John. “The Origins of the Gothic.” The British Library. Dangoor Education, British Library Trust, British Library Patrons, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. <https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-origins-of-the-gothic>.
• Matus, Douglas. “10 Elements of Gothic Literature.” The Pen and The Pad. Leaf Group LTD, 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. <http://penandthepad.com/10-elements-gothic-literature-8104633.html>.
• PF. “Edgar Allan Poe: Bibliography.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/edgar-allan-poe>.

Are you tired of reading poems that force you to look at countless footnotes to understand their socio-political significance? Are your eyes hurting from staring at the same poem over and over again trying to decipher its “deep meaning” or religious importance? If you answered yes (or just stared unresponsively at these questions) then the Aestheticism School of Poetry is definitely perfect for you. It’s decadence, luxuriousness, beauty, and rich imagery makes Aestheticism the dessert of literature. Our Founder, Walter Pater, was a British writer who heavily influenced aesthetic writers in their work. In his essays Studies in the History of the Renaissance, which was published between 1867 and 1868, he said “life has to be lived intensely, with an ideal of beauty.” These essays began the principle of “Art for Art’s Sake,” or in other words, using art to convey something beautiful rather than trying to bring about some sort of political, social, or religious debate.

 

Think of your favorite song (hopefully it has lyrics). Now strip away the music elements and break it down to just the words. Do they still sound beautiful? This idea of lyricism as art was very important to this poetic school. Lyric poetry was actually seen as the most valued aesthetic poetry because being pleasing to the ear was the main goal.

 

To better understand the mindset of the poets of this movement, let us think of them as high schoolers at a lunch.

On the right side of the table, we have Aristotle and Sir Philip Sidney. These upperclassmen look down upon the curious and playful nature of their younger counterparts. Every single day they dress identically and eat the same food as each other because imitation is everything to them. They synchronize their breathing, their steps and even their thoughts. If Sidney were to pick up and apple after Aristotle grabbed an orange, they might go a week without speaking. Eventually they would get over themselves though because who else would they have to mimic?

 

Aristotle and Sidney can’t stand those weird kids that sit outside every single day during lunchtime.

The names of those weirdos are Wordsworth, Blake, Coleridge and Keats. They don’t even eat. Staring at the trees and flowers is enough for them. It’s all they talk about when they go back to class. It’s almost like a sport: who can love nature and their surroundings the most? They probably use photosynthesis to generate the energy to constantly think about their love for nature

 

Then there’s Wilde and Swinburne: the rich kids.

It would not be a normal day at school if they purchased a school lunch. That would be embarrassing. Instead they invite their personal cooks to lunch hour everyday to prepare the finest meals. They always have backup cashmere robes in case a bit of food brushes up against the ones they are wearing. Why do they dress up so extravagantly to school each day? Their answer is: why not! Sometimes they’ll be seen whining over the fact that their full symphony is late to lunch. They try not to dwell on their absence though since they know they will hear their gorgeous music as soon as they get home and eat their afternoon snack. The constantly make fun of the preps, Sidney and Aristotle. They like to call these preps “the twins”, since they aren’t happy unless they buy everything from the same stores. They sort of like the romantics eating outside because of their appreciation of beauty, but they don’t quite contain the level of lavishness needed to be accepted by these two.

 

One of Oscar Wilde’s favorite quotes is, “Who want’s to be consistent.” Change is everything to these poets. Unusual outfits, literature, and even sexuality was characteristic of Wilde who was in the homosexual minority, an offense punishable by law during the 1800s. In this example excerpt of “Flower of Love”, you can sense the beauty of his words simply for the sake of enjoyment, pleasure, or entertainment.

 

                “And at springtide, when the apple-blossoms brush the burnished bosom of the dove,

                Two young lovers lying in an orchard would have read the story of our love;

                Would have read the legend of my passion, known the bitter secret of my heart,

                Kissed as we have kissed, but never parted as we two are fated now to part.

                For the crimson flower of our life is eaten by the cankerworm of truth,

                And no hand can gather up the fallen withered petals of the rose of youth.”

 

I think it’s safe to say that “Art for Art’s Sake” has paved the way for entertainment today. I mean how else can we justify shows like The Bachelor.

 

Sources:

“Aestheticism.” Victorian Poetry, Poetics and Contexts – Aestheticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Aestheticism.” Victorian Poetry, Poetics and Contexts – Aestheticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Obo.” Aestheticism – Victorian Literature – Oxford Bibliographies. N.p., 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Movement.” Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Poetry through the Ages.” Business of Poetry : Poetry through the Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

 “Rossetti Archive Pictures.” Rossetti Archive Paintings, Drawings, and Designs Exhibit. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

“Why “Mean Girls” Is a Classic.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 16 July 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

We all know who Ezra Pound and H.D. are (it’s totally okay if you don’t, because I didn’t at first either. Here’s their photos so you get an idea of who we’re talking about), but did we know that in one point in time they were romantically involved? Yeah, I know, crazy. Long, long, time ago before H.D. and Richard Aldington, we’re going to call him R.A because that’s what H.D. called him, ever existed. Pound met her at a party and let’s just say they really hit it off there and became romantically involved. No one really knows why they stopped dating, they just did. I would bet it’s because Pound is an obsessive-stalker guy, but we’ll get more into that later.

H.D. and R.A. were falling in love with another right under Pound’s nose, but he never could quite grasp that idea around his head. I find this extremely hard to believe because the two were inseparable. Convinced that Pound was just in denial at this point. In September of 1912, the couple, separately, attended the British Museum tea-room. Just because H.D. did not go to the tea-room with R.A. does not mean she did not go alone; she went with… you guessed it, Ezra Pound. I don’t know about y’all, but I would not be okay with my girlfriend coming to this kind of event on her ex-boyfriend’s arm like a couple. Hey, that’s just me. Back to the point. So while they were here, H.D. showed her poems to Pound and he was incredibly impressed. He signed them “H.D. ‘Imagiste’” and sent them off that October to Poetry. Then Pound coined the phrase and term “imagiste” in 1912 and became the face of modern day poetry. Or did he?

            In November 1912, three of R.A.’s poems appeared in Poetry as Imagist works, whereas H.D.’s poems did not appear for another two months later in January 1913. Yikes! When we think imagist, we think Pound, not R.A. But the movement started even before the two of them. Plot twist. I know, I know. I’m just dragging you all over the place with this one. The ideas were developed by T.E. Hulme along with the Poets’ Club in 1908. He initially created the Poets’ Club to further advance his ideas of image and expose and share this idea with other intellects of his time. They met once a month to share original pieces and everything, next thing you know, boom: the imagist movement. You’re probably wondering how in the hell did R.A. and Pound get involved with imagism four years later. Well, Pound was introduced to the idea at the Café Tour d’Eiffel. This started Hulme and Pound’s infamous feud. Majority of the tension comes from Pound trying to claim credit for Hulme’s contribution to poetry and well after his death. (See, that’s that obsessive thing I was talking about). As you can tell in the photo of Hulme below, he just looks like someone who is tired of Pound’s shit.

            Despite who truly deserves to take credit for the idea, they all agreed on one thing: that the goal of imagist poetry was to observe, admire, and appreciate detail through words and rhetorical devices. Hulme believed that because image was the untouched material of experience, we should appreciate it as such. Pound expanded on this idea and set forth guidelines that defined imagist poetry. Can you believe this guy? Did even coin the damn phrase, but is going to determine what is and isn’t imagist poetry. Somebody should have put a stop to his madness. Back to the point, one of those defining guidelines was “to use absolutely no word that does contribute to the presentation” to ensure exactness and precision in the description. Genius. Controlling, but genius. Speaking of Pound and all of his greatness, below is an example and excerpt from one of his pieces in “In a Station of the Metro”.

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

-Ezra Pound

 

Here, Pound uses both descriptive and rhetorical devices to express to the audience the images he sees before him. Now, does that not sound exactly like the picture? That Ezra is good, I tell ya.

 

In 1914, an anthology about imagistes was created and edited by Pound (shocker) was published. Works in this included, you guessed it, R.A. and H.D. But by the time of the anthology, a new face was seen as the leader of the movement, and this time, it was a female! Her name was Amy Lowell and she basically stole the spotlight from all the men like women normally do. Of course Pound had some excuse to defend himself, once again. This time he was claiming that the only reason he even invented imagism was to launch H.D.’s career. *room gasps*

How dare Pound take such credit?! Rumors say that this claim happened right after H.D. and R.A.’s wedding. The couple actually expressed their discomfort with Pound’s intrusive behaviors and actions in their respected books. Can you believe Pound moved in across the hall from them? Across the hall! (See! That’s that stalker thing I was talking about earlier). Seriously Pound? You cannot possibly still be that into her. Don’t get me wrong, H.D. is a catch, but stalking? That’s an all-time low; even for you. The two agreed that they worked best when Pound was at a distance. Rumors say that the “influence” Pound had on H.D. wearied off before it even started and that she’s grown into a poet on her own. But he claimed to have helped lau—okay.

What we’ve learned today is that: the creator of imagism poetry still remains a mystery, imagism poetry is simplistic in it’s message, but complex in its description, and Ezra Pound is a lunatic. You would think with his knowledge in imagery that he’d be able to notice that he honestly looked crazy out there for all those years. I expected better from you Pound. We all did.

 

 

-D.C. Imagiste Enthusiast

 

 

 

“A Brief Guide To Imagism”. A Brief Guide to Imagism. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.

Brinkman, Bartholomew. “Making Modern “Poetry”: Format, Genre And The Invention Of Imagism(E).” Journal Of Modern Literature 32.2 (2009): 20-40. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2017

Castellitto, George P. “Imagism And Martin Scorsese: Images Suspended And Extended.” Literature Film Quarterly 26.1 (1998): 23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

Drobot, Irina-Ana. “Two Versions Of Young Woman At A Window By William Carlos Williams: Which Version Is More Imagist?.” Scientific Journal Of Humanistic Studies 6.11 (2014): 55-56. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

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(Translator) Henri Bergson, Introduction to Metaphysics, Macmillan (London, England), 1913.

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