1. Lecture 10: Imagism (1900-1910s)

2. Historical Background: WWI was the biggest event of the time.  People went into it with extreme enthusiasm, inspired by the ideal of making the world safe for democracy.  There was a tremendous disillusionment because nothing had changed. There was a popular contempt for the law. A loss of faith began with Darwin’s theories of evolution.

3. Imagism: its development 1. 1908—1909 T. E. Hulme founded a Poets’ Club in 1908. The most effective means to express the momentary impressions is through “the use of one dominant image”.

4. Imagism: its development 2. 1912—1914 Ezra Pound took over the movement. In 1912, they published Des Imagistes. a. Direct treatment of the “thing”, whether subjective or objective; b. To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation; c. As regarding rhythm, to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in the sequence of a metronome. 1. 1908—1909

5. Imagism: its development 3. 1914—1917 Amy Lowell took over the movement and developed it into “Amygism”. In 1915, 1916, 1917, three volumes of Some Imagist Poets came out, containing six principles based on the original three. 1. 1908—1909 2. 1912—1914

6. Imagism: its definition  T. E. Hulme: The image must enable one “to dwell and linger upon a point of excitement, to achieve the impossible and convert a point into a line”.  Ezra Pound: An image is “that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time”.  Richard Aldington: The exact word must bring the effect of the object before the reader as it had presented itself to the poet’s mind at the time of writing.

7. Imagism: its sources  Greek myths  Provencal poetry  Japanese poetry  Chinese poetry, especially the ideographic and pictographic nature of Chinese language

8. Imagism: its representatives  T. E. Hulme: “Autumn”  F. S. Flint: “The Swan”  Richard Aldington  Hilda Doolittle: “Oread”  Amy Lowell: “Wind and Silver”  William Carlos Williams: “The Red Wheelbarrow”  Ezra Pound, “In a Station of the Metro”

9. Ezra Pound (1885—1972) Cantos (1948), a total of 117 poems Cathay, a collection of Chinese translations, based on the manuscripts of Ernest Fennellosa Pound was the father of modern poetry.

10. In a Station of the Metro The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.

11. The footsteps of the cat upon the snow; Are like the plum blossoms. -- a Japanese hikku

13. Hilda Doolittle (H. D.), 1886—1961)

14. Oread Hurl up, sea-- whirl your pointed pines. splash your great pines on our rocks, hurl your green over us, cover us with your pools of fir.

15. William Carlos Williams (1883—1963) Poems (1909) Spring and All (1923) Paterson (1946—1963)

16. The Red Wheelbarrow so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

17. Homework:

18. Week 11: May Day Holiday

19. For Week 12: 1. Reading Assignments: Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” “The Road Not Taken” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” “Fire and Ice” “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

20. For Week 12: 2. Presentation topics: a. (“Mending Wall”) What does the wall possibly symbolize? b. (“The Road Not Taken”) What is the significance of the title of the poem? c.(“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”) Why is the last line repeated?

21. For Week 13: 1. Reading Assignments: Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-lighted Place”

22. For Week 13: 2. Presentation topics: a. In what ways do the two waiters differ? b. What does the title of the story mean? c. What is the significance of the garbled Lord’s prayer?