Imagists about Pope’s Essay on Criticism
Although Alexander Pope and Ezra Pound wrote in different centuries to prove the success of their eras, Enlightenment and Imagism, respectfully, their works could have many things in common. The representatives of the Augustan Age valued reason and independence, while the Imagists saw individualism through the prism of simplicity and clarity. Pound was definite and scarce in her words compared to Pope, who used many abstract phrases and objective opinions. Therefore, most Imagists would have thought that Pope did not have a clear suggestion and recommended removing unnecessary discourse and sentiments in his “Essay on Criticism.”
The Enlightenment movement was known for the desire of poets to obtain reason in political, religious, and philosophical discussions. “An Essay on Criticism,” written by Pope at the beginning of the 18th century, was inspired by the necessity to change something and help people become better. Instead of giving clear reasons and explanations of the problem, many general concepts like “glitt’ring thoughts,” “glaring chaos,” and “naked nature” are observed in his poem (Pope). The poet is not afraid to introduce new thoughts and compare poets to “unskill’d to trace/The naked nature” painters (Pope). All these examples create a solid basis for criticism and the necessity to impose limitations by Imagists.
Imagism was founded in the early 20th century and characterized by simple language, clarity in statements, and visualization of ideas. In other words, if Enlightenment poetry was exalted and abstract, Imagist poetry was proved to be detailed and concrete. In her poem, Pound described the character who walked in “Kensington Gardens… dying piece-meal/of a sort of emotional amenia” (415). There is no need to have several people with the same problem but to introduce one person and show his/her significance clearly. A similar style is observed in Amy Lowell’s “Aliens,” whose “spirit crumbles at their [little people] teasing touch” (46). There is no need for lengthy descriptive lines for the Imagists to create a story.
Either Pound or Lowell would use their new modernist rules to improve Pope’s expert and suggest focusing on one poet with a particular problem and limiting unnecessary conceit and blood excess. The Imagists do not criticize or reject the already offered ideas and literary approaches. Their goal is to prove that interesting material can be introduced within a limited portion of words. The Imagist thoughts about Pope’s essay would hardly be negative, just advisory to reduce complex abstract constructions.
Projectivists and Feminists about Imagists
Each century establishes new specific norms for poets and authors. In addition to their desire to share unique literary techniques, there is a burning need to find a union and encourage a meaningful movement. In the 20th century, English literature was shaped by Projectivists, Imagists, and Modernists, who had much to say about the impact of poetry on human life. Imagists like Ezra Pound and Amy Lowell, Projectivists like Robert Creeley and Denise Levertov, and postcolonial poets like Marylin Dumont and Amanda Gorman introduced interesting works. The evaluation of Projectivist characteristics in Imagist poetry and postcolonial verse allows understanding the purposes of different poetry forms.
Projectivist poets concentrated on the environment and its impact on the author and the reader. In “The Door for Robert Duncan,” Creeley explained the garden as the place “where in the sunlight sit the Graces,” which allows to imagine the place, people, and even the mood (666). Another Projectivist, Levertov, added emotions about the environment that will never “smell sweeter than this/wet ground” (641). Both authors would think that Imagist poetry is similar to their work because of description and feelings: “a rabble of the filthy, sturdy, unkillable infants” (Pound 415) or “the chatter of little people” (Lowell 46). The Projectivists included the Imagist approach due to their possibility to share the details and help the reader create a picture of the event and develop necessary emotions.
The same techniques may be observed in some postcolonial poems, which proves the resemblance between the Imagism and the literature of formerly colonized countries. For example, Dumont discussed “the Great White Way of writing English,” in which she was “judged and assessed.” Gorman continued living in “a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished” (qtd. in Liu). Both poets gave clear reasons for their writing and explained why their concerns and doubts matter. They live in this chaos, and Imagism is the way to share their stories in the most illustrative way.
Projectivists, Imagists, and postcolonial poets introduced different stories to help the reader understand this world with its positive and negative sides. There is no need to choose one side and enjoy its benefits or solve its problems. The world is not perfect, but there is always some space for happiness and sorrow. The techniques of different movements are never excluded but revised and used in new contexts where burning issues and themes are raised.
Works Cited
Creeley, Robert. “The Door for Robert Duncan.” The Broadview Anthology of Poetry, edited by Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Broadview Press, 2009, pp. 665-667.
Dumont, Malilyn. The Devil’s Language. Web.
Levertov, Denise. “Laying the Dust.” The Broadview Anthology of Poetry, edited by Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Broadview Press, 2009, p. 641.
Liu, Jennifer. “Read the Full Text of Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem ‘The Hill We Climb’.” CNBC Make It. 2021. Web.
Lowell, Amy. Poems. Poemhunter. 2012. The World’s Poetry Archive. Web.
Pope, Alexander. “An Essay on Criticism.”Poetry Foundation. Web.
Pound, Ezra. “The Garden.” The Broadview Anthology of Poetry, edited by Herbert Rosengarten and Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Broadview Press, 2009, p. 415.