Imagist Poets Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams
- Slides: 7
Imagist Poets Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams
What is Imagism? An imagist poem expressed the essence of an object, person, or incident, without providing explanations. Most closely influenced by Japanese haikus, which evoke an emotional response through the representation of a single image or a pair of contrasting images. Imagist movement lasted only about twenty years, but poets influenced many other writers, such as T. S. Eliot.
Ezra Pound 1885 -1972 Born in Hailey, Idaho territory (ID didn’t become a state until 1890) Attended University of Pennsylvania for two years, then to Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, earning a degree in philosophy. Briefly taught a Wabash College and hated it. With only $80 in his pocket, he sailed for Venice and never looked back. Spent most of his life in Europe after college Inspired the dramatic changes in American poetry Insisted that writers “make it new” by discarding forms, techniques, and ideas. Despite this, Pound drew upon poetry of ancient cultures
William Carlos Williams 1883 -1963 Born in Rutherford, New Jersey, and unlike many of the imagist poets, he remained a U. S. resident. He died in the same city of his birth. Attended the University of Pennsylvania and later Perelman School of Medicine. He was a practicing pediatrician as well as a poet. Believed that the common experience contained the seeds of the extraordinary. Poems depicted ordinary people, objects, and experiences in everyday language. Poet Laureate of the United States and won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Suffered a series of strokes prior to his death.
Understanding Imagist Poetry Engage your senses As you encounter each image, try to re-create in your mind the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or physical sensations the image evokes. Some senses are more pronounced than others.
Characteristics of Imagist Poems Evoke Emotion Spark Imagination Use Limited, but VIVID images Are brief, but meaningful
The Red Wheelbarrow so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. Vs. the? Contrasting Colors Importance of rain to farmers? How does this reflect the imagist emphasis on the concrete?
