Transcript 幻灯片 1

Imagism
Origination
Originating in the philosophy of T.E. Hulme, the movement
soon attracted Ezra Pound, who became the leader of a small
group opposed to the romantic conception of poetry and
inspired by Greek and Roman classics and by Chinese,
Japanese, and modern French poets.
The imagist poets called for
 new rhythms,
 clear images,
 free choice of subject matter,
 compressed poetic expression, and
 use of common speech.
Movement
Imagism is a poetic movement of England and the United
States, which flourished from 1908 to 1917.
Its creed, expressed in Some Imagist Poets (1915), included the
use of the language of common speech, precision, the creation
of new rhythms, absolute freedom in choice of subject matter,
the evocation of images in hard, clear poetry, and concentration.
In the U.S., the group was represented by Pound, John Gould
Fletcher, and Amy Lowell.
Movement
Pound collected some of their work in Des Imagists: An
Anthology (1914), after which his interest began to wane.
Amy Lowell then assumed active leadership, advocating that
the group subscribe to a fixed program and hold together for at
least three years. Under her guidance were published several
anthologies, all entitled Some Imagist Poets.
The most important figures are Ezra Pound, H.D. (Hilda
Doolittle), Amy Lowell, and William Carlos Williams.
Other important poets in this period include T. S. Eliot, E.R.
Robinson, Wallace Stevens, and E.E. Cummings.
Major feature--1
With a spirit of revolt against conventions, imagism was antiromantic and anti-Victorian.
It stressed free choice of subject matters (often dealing with
single, concentrated moments of experience), concreteness of
imagery, musical phrases, economy of expression, and the use
of a dominant image.
It aimed at instantaneous effect, visual and concise.
Imagists used the language of common speech and employed
exact words instead of the flowery language of poetry.
They avoided all cliche expressions, the ornate diction, and
complex verse forms of traditional poetry.
Major feature--2
Imagism produced free verse without imposing a rhythmical
pattern.
The rhythm was composed as if the poet were making a music
phrase.
This was a doing-away with conventions of meter so that the
poet needed not make his ideas fit into an established meter as
in a sonnet or a ballad.
The poet created new rhythms in the sequence of the musical
phrase as the expressions of a new mood.
Major feature--3
Imagism was equivalent to Naturalism in fiction in a sense.
Naturalism was based on scientific observation, a feeling of
determinism that the reader should look only at the outside
objects with no attempt to get inside of them.
The Imagist writers also had the same feeling of determinism
that the reader should only look at the image. If the reader looks
at the image, it will evoke an emotion immediately.
Major feature--4
Imagism tried to record objective observations of an object or a
situation without interpretation or comment by the poet.
Imagism required a poet to present just a picture, not his insight.
It is very biological and very scientific. They never stated the
emotion in the poem, but just presented an image: concrete,
firm, definite in picture. Any significance to be derived from
the image had to appear inherent in its clean presentation.
Summary
Imagism was a radical change from the way poetry had been
written in the 19th century.
These modernist poets tried to keep their ideas to themselves,
merely giving the reader the description of the outward surface.
Therefore, an Imagist poem consists of clear visual images,
often juxtaposed with other images, prompting the reader to an
imaginative response that completes its meaning.
Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
American poet, critic, editor, and translator; one of the foremost literary
figures in literary modernism
As a poet, Pound experimented with various verse forms, from short
poems focusing on concrete images to his epic masterpiece, the Cantos.
As an essayist, he wrote manifestos establishing influential principles of
style and theme.
As a critic and editor, Pound discovered and encouraged many
experimental authors, including Irish writer James Joyce, English poet T.
S. Eliot, and American writers Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway.
Note: Cantos, a wide-ranging series of poems combining ancient and
modern history with Pound’s personal reflections and experiences.
Literary Achievement
His Contribution:
He launched Imagism, a movement in poetry which derived its technique from
classical Chinese and Japanese poetry--stressing clarity, precision, and economy
of language.
His influence:
He advanced the work of major contemporaries, such as W.B.Yeats, Robert Frost,
William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, H.D., James Joyce, Ernest
Hemingway, and especially T.S.Eliot.
Major Works:
1 The Cantos (the encyclopedic epic poem)
2 Hugh Selwyn Mauberley
3 The Pisan Cantos
Imagism In China
天净沙.秋思 马致远
枯藤老树昏鸦，
小桥流水人家，
古道西风瘦马。
夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯。
In a Station of the Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough
Hilda Doolittle
(1886-1961)
pseud. H. D.,, American poet
Married to Richard Aldington in 1913
In England, under the influence of Ezra Pound, she became
associated with the imagists and developed into one of the most
original poets of the group.
Volumes of her verse include
Sea Garden (1916),
Red Shoes for Bronze (1931),
The Walls Do Not Fall (1944), and
Bid Me to Live (1960).
William Carlos Williams
(1883 - 1963)
American poet and physician. He wrote stories, plays and
autobiographies as well as poems. He met and befriended Ezra
Pound, and was influenced by Pound.
Biographical Facts
He was born in New Jersey, U.S. 1883.
He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
He sustained his medical practice throughout his life.
He died in Vienna, Austria, 1963.
Poetic Features
Relaxed colloquialism
Vivid Presentation
Eloquent passages of beautifully controlled rhythm and phrasing
His subject matter was centered on the everyday circumstances of life and
the lives of common people.
The Red Wheelbarrow
1 How does the first two lines differ from the other pairs of lines?
2 What is the most visually compelling word in each of the last three pairs
of lines?
3 What is the meaning of “depends upon” in the first pair of lines?
The Red Wheelbarrow
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
William Carlos Williams