Imagist Poetry : An Anthology (Dover Thrift Editions)

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful introduction to Imagist poetry.........
Review: .....with a phenomenal price tag. If you are just curious about different types of poetry (as I am) or wish to learn specifically about Imagism, don't pass this one up!

This anthology contains more than 180 poems by the best known Imagists: James Joyce, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, D.H. Lawrence, Richard Aldington, among about a dozen others. The reader experiences the full range of Imagist poetry.

Imagism, which had it's emergence in the 1910s, is distinct in that each poet is permitted to find his/her own rhythm without constraint, subjects are treated directly, the language is precise, adjectives are used sparingly, and there is little rhyming. In effect, Imagism, which was considered radical at the time, ultimately widened the definition of poetry written in English.

I found in reading this collection, that there were rhythms that I distinctly did and did not respond to. Thus, I found poets that I discovered I liked and responded to and others that clearly did not do the same for me. I always found the topics of each poem worthy, however. Few seemed frivilous, but rather centered on topics of love, religious worship, nature, death, among others that emphasized meaning that far transcended mere words. Particularly, if you enjoy original, detailed descriptions of our natural world, I think you'll respond to many of the poems contained in this anthology.

The one item I felt was lacking was that there was no bio for each poet. I would have liked a brief (paragraph or two) intro to each poet, particularly because several of the names were new to me. Otherwise, I'd have given the collection five stars.

Rating:
Summary: An Evocative Introduction to Modernity
Review: In a brief, accessible, and inexpensive book, Bob Blaisdell and Dover Thrift have created a fine selection of poems from the "Imagist" movement which changed the direction of American and English poetry in the early 20th Century. The precise nature of "Imagism" has been much discussed. Some of the more famous, succinct forumlations of its creed were "Not ideas of the thing but the thing itself." and, simply, "make it new". Imagism wanted to turn away from late 19th Century poetry with what the new writers perceived as its sometimes stilted diction, involuted syntax, forced rhymes, and forced sentiment and return to the object, to a way of seeing things freshly through precise speech. In Bob Blaisdell's brief introduction to this book, he discusses the principles of Imagism as Richard Aldington, the first poet to appear in the collection, formulated them: 1.Direct treatment of the subject; 2.As few adjectives as possible; 3. A hardness as of cut stone; 4. Individuality of rhythm; 5. A whole lot of dont's; 6. The exact word.

W.C. Williams's poem "To a Solitary Disciple" (page 137 of the collection) offers a good poetic summation of imagist practice. It begins:

"Rather notice, mon cher,
that the moon is
tilted above
the point of the steeple
than that its color
is shell-pink.

Rather observe
that it is early morning
than that the sky
is smooth
as a turquoise"

The collection includes 180 poems by 17 poets. The selections were culled from the pages of the "little magazines" of poetry that presented works of the new movement between 1913 and 1922. The poets receiving the most space are, understandably enough, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, and W.C. Williams.
It will be a joy to a reader coming to these poets for the first time. The book also includes many lesser known but important writers such as Richard Aldington, H.D. Amy Lowell, and others. Thus the book, short and accessible as it is, does not constitute simply a collection of favorites. It is a fine introduction to imagism and to the spirit of our modern age including both well-known and lesser-known figures.

This book can be enjoyed and savored simply for what it is -- an inexpensive collection of many of the poems illustrating the modernist temprament. As such, the book will offer many hours of reading and rereading. Equally important, the book could also serve as an introduction for those who want to learn more, to explore further the development of American or English poetry in the Twentieth Century.

Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable collection of masterpieces.
Review: Of all the movements in 20th century literature, Imagism is my favorite. If you're as sick as I am of angry, modern, "confessional" poets (yes, I'm sure your childhood was awful, now see a therapist and get on Prozac), then take a look at this collection. While some of the poems here are widely anthologized (including Wallace Steven's, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" and William Carlos Williams's, "To Waken an Old Lady"), most haven't been seen except by literati. It's truly a shame, because one of the "rules" of the Imagist movement was clarity of prose and vision. Take this gem from Richard Aldington, for example: "The chimneys, rank on rank,/ Cut the clear sky;/ The moon/ With a rag of gauze about her loins/ Poses among them, an awkward Venus---/ And here I am looking wantonly at her/ Over the kitchen sink." Wow! The Imagist movement was about nature, and unexpected beauty; things we haven't seen much of in late 20th/early 21st century art. In my opinion, this affordable little book is worth ten times the cover price. "Confessional" poetry? If I want to read about child molestation or how awful the world is, I'll read the newspaper, thank you.