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Essay / Ezra Pound - One of the Most Notable Poets of the 20th Century throughout the 20th century participated in different poetic movements. Although many of these movements concerned traditional styles of poetry, there were modern movements that favored new styles of writing. Ezra Pound founded the Imagism movement. Pound rebelled against the old norms of poetry, which brought him notoriety. He and several other poets founded what many consider the most influential movement of the 20th century. Although Pound was ultimately unhappy with what the Imagist movement became, it is for this that he is best known. Although he received many critical acclaim for his poetry, he was embroiled in controversies relating to World War II. His achievements are often condemned because of his support for fascism in Europe. In short, he was famous for his poetry and infamous for his beliefs. Although controversial, Pound is one of the most influential and notable poets of the 20th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Origins and Early Adulthood Ezra Loomis Pound was born October 30, 1885, in Hailey, Idaho, a frontier town. His father, Homer Pound, was the son of Thaddeus Pound, a famous Republican congressman. Ezra Pound admired Thaddeus Pound because of his many accomplishments. Ezra Pound viewed Thaddeus Pound as a selfless public servant upon whom he could model himself (“Ezra Pound” Concise). This side of Ezra Pound's family was primarily pioneers. On the other hand, his mother, Isabel Weston Pound, came from a colonial family. She was distantly related to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a famous 19th century poet. It instilled pride in young Pound, who belongs to both sides of American history. Pound moved several times throughout his childhood. In 1887, he and his family moved briefly to New York, then to Thaddeus Pound's farm in Wisconsin. In 1889 they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they settled. Pound attended a number of Philadelphia area schools, from public schools to military academies. At fifteen he decided that by thirty he would know more about poetry than any man alive ("Pound, Ezra"). This early fascination with poetry will transform into a real ambition. From 1901 to 1903, Pound attended the University of Pennsylvania - where he met his longtime Williams friends Carlos Williams and Hilda Doolittle - but he then transferred to Hamilton College and graduated in 1905. In 1908, he went to abroad in southern Europe, notably in Gibraltar and Italy. Pound arrived in Venice, Italy, with a total of eighty dollars (Authors “Ezra Pound”). Although he only lived in Italy for three months, he found much inspiration for his first collection of poetry, A Lume Spento, which he published in July of that year. Pound eventually settled in London, where he published another collection of poetry, A Fortnight for this Yule, Exultations and Personae. Critics have acclaimed these two collections; an anonymous critic said he had "the capacity for remarkable poetic achievements" (quoted in "Ezra Pound"). Although he showed promise at that time, Pound later looked back and said he did not yet have his "own voice"; his poetry resembled that of a student influenced byhis university studies (Persoon). Career and World War I In 1909, shortly after moving to London, Pound met Olivia Shakespear, novelist and mother of Dorothy Shakespear, his future wife. Pound married Dorothy Shakespear in 1914. Just two years before their marriage in 1912, Pound founded Imagism with his old friends William Carlos Williams and Hilda Doolittle, as well as the poets Richard Aldington and FS Flint. A woman named Amy Lowell also embraced Imagism. Imagism was a poetic movement that incorporated precision of language and sought to break away from traditional overly descriptive verse ("Pound, Ezra"). It was a rebellion against the romantic poetry of the Victorian era. The inspiration for this movement comes from Southeast Asian literature. Pound began studying Chinese and Japanese writings. Pound worried about Confucian ideology and its apparent opposition to Western civilization, which "was rotten to the core, eaten away by the corrupt political-economic system of capitalist democracy" (paraphrased by Wernick). In 1913, Pound published a poem entitled "In a Subway Station", which is an excellent example of the simplicity required in a work of imagism: "In a Subway Station" The appearance of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a black and damp branch. Pound wrote this poem in a modified form of Japanese haiku. It has no verbs and simply describes a subway station. The spacing and format are intentional and give the poem a distinct rhythm. The lines rhyme too. The narrator describes passing apparitions and petals on a tree. Beyond these observations, the analysis of this poem is complete. The goal of this type of poetry is not to overanalyze, but to achieve vivid description with as few words as possible. The main goal was to try to find the exact words to use. Another example of imagism is below: “And the days are not full enough” And the days are not full enough And the nights are not full enough And life passes like a field mouse Without shaking the grass. In the years following the creation of Imagism, poet Amy Lowell created her own anthologies. Pound did not think these collections met imagist standards; he called his works “Amygism”. Pound eventually distanced himself from Imagism and founded Vorticism, a movement based essentially on the same ideas as Imagism, but also linked to visual arts and music. To prevent Vorticism from being interchangeable with Imagism, Pound defined a "vortex" as "a radiant node or cluster...from which, through which, and into which ideas are constantly rushing" (quoted in Authors “Ezra Pound”). The First World War deeply affected Pound. The endless murders of young men devastated him and as a result he lost his militant and aggressive tone. He had ceased his relentless criticism of America and England, and his writings at this time show that his only political hope lay in a "coalition of England, France and America" ("Pound, Ezra"). Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, a long poem published in 1920, demonstrates this change in style after experiencing the horror of war. Pound also uses his fame to help other artists. To promote the careers of other writers, Pound praised them while they were still relatively unknown. These artists were DH Lawrence, Robert Frost, HD (Hilda Doolittle), and Ernest Hemingway, all of whom became widely known. Pound helped writers by putting them in touch with patrons, and he connected painters and sculptors with interested buyers. Midlife, Later Years, and World War III In 1921, Pound and his wife Dorothy,.
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