Creating Aesthetic Value
The article entitled “On Imagism” by Amy Lowell, which is also referred to as the Imagist Manifesto, sets up and explains the major principles of Imagist poetry. One of the positive points of the manifesto is the principle that requires the use of simple language and exact words. As Lowell writes, “The language of common speech means a diction which carefully excludes inversions, and the clichés of the old poetic jargon […]” (Lowell, 1917). The logical continuation of this guideline is “To produce poetry that is hard and clear, never blurred nor indefinite” (Lowell, 1917). On the one hand, this style allows expressing one’s thoughts in a clear and concise way which makes the verse understandable and helps the reader concentrate on the central image the author depicts. On the other hand, the clichés, metaphors and vague words are the important tools of creating the mood of the poem. For instance, such expressions as “battlemented clouds” and “mountainous seas” Lowell warns against are the keys to the understanding of the author’s feelings and sensations associated with the specific experience or image. Due to the fact that I believe that ambiguity is an integral part of poetry and always contains a challenge or an interesting puzzle for the reader to solve, my attitude towards these principles is controversial.
I also like the Imagists’ acceptance of free rhymes, as the necessity of rhyming in the “traditional” way (so that similar sounds are repeated) might make the author’s language poorer, as certain words have no general rhymes. Therefore, this principle is associated with greater freedom of poetic expression. In addition, it is recommended that poets be inventive and create new rhymes as opposed to those which “merely echo old moods […]” (Lowell, 1917). Thus, this principle encourages authors to construct new emotional contexts in their verses and put forth new concepts. Due to the fact that innovation is a part of progress and development, I particularly like this idea.
One of the examples of the application of these principles is Amy Lowell’s poem “In a Garden”. The speaker describes the atmosphere of the garden and fantasizes that she could see her beloved bathing in the swimming-pool. “In a Garden” is a clear and well-crafted and structured presentation of this single image, so the reader can assume the principle of exact presentation is put into practice. In particular, the author provides a comprehensive description of the sensations associated with the atmosphere of the garden: “The water fills the garden with its rushing,/In the midst of the quiet of close-clipped lawns” (Lowell, lines 6-7); “Damp smell the ferns in tunnels of stone, /Where trickle and plash the fountains, /Marble fountains, yellowed with much water” (Lowell, lines 8-10). Each word of the poem contributes to the presentation and the reader can “see” and “hear” what is happening in the garden and inhale the smell of the ferns. The presentation is rich, and it needs to be noted that the poetess uses simple and clear language with no subtexts, allusions or symbols. Instead, Lowell focuses on the physical aspects of the place rather than on the emotions, thoughts or reminiscence associated with the garden.
Besides, in the second part of the verse, the author integrates the image of her beloved into her description of the garden, and the reader still can easily visualize a white figure of a man (or a woman) bathing in the silver water under the moon: “And I wished for night and you./I wanted to see you in the swimming-pool,/ White and shining in the silver-flecked water” (Lowell, lines 16-18). Importantly, although the setting is a bit different (in the first part of the poem the garden is presented at a daytime), the author brings back the familiar characteristics of this garden which include the presence of the swimming pool and the water. As one can conclude, the poem complies with the principles set up by Lowell, as it is hard and clear and allows the reader to imagine and even “experience” what the poetess is writing about. Interestingly, each stanza ends with a reference to the water, which is probably the central image or the essence of the presentation. The first stanza informs that water “fills the garden with its rushing” (Lowell, line 7), in the second it is stated that the fountains are yellowed with water, the third describes the movement of the water: “It falls, the water; / And the air is throbbing with it./ With its gurgling and running./With its leaping, and deep, cool murmur” (Lowell, lines 12-15). The last contains the following description: “Night, and the water, and you in your whiteness, bathing!” (Lowell, line 22). In addition, the author uses free rhyme, as “It is true that modern subjects, modern habits of mind, seem to find more satisfactory expression in vers libre and “polyphonic prose” than in metrical verse” (Lowell, 1917).
Thus, the theory presented in the Imagist Manifesto in general works, as the poem is composed is accordance with the corresponding principles. The author managed to construct a well-structured and clear presentation with non-conventional rhymes and without vague generalities, so “In a Garden” is a successful example of Imagist poetry. However, it is difficult to identify the emotional mood and the poetess’s (or speaker’s personality) in the poem, and the work greatly resembles shots from a film with natural imagery. “In a Garden” is simple, clear and understandable, but it touches merely the senses of the reader, providing enough visual, auditory and olfactory messages, without communicating emotions and feelings, because the emotional component is “excluded” or replaced with descriptions of the physical environment. I admit that appreciation of nature is an important direction of poetry, but the natural imagery often serves as a source of symbols leading to the author’s own ideas, feelings and experiences. The reader can learn from them or draw valuable conclusions, whereas the Imagist poem rather belongs to the category of “art for art’s sake”. However, Imagism greatly influenced modern poetry, as it broadened the range of forms and instruments which can be used in poetry and inspired poets to find spontaneous and unexpected images which describe our daily life.
I also like the Imagists’ acceptance of free rhymes, as the necessity of rhyming in the “traditional” way (so that similar sounds are repeated) might make the author’s language poorer, as certain words have no general rhymes. Therefore, this principle is associated with greater freedom of poetic expression. In addition, it is recommended that poets be inventive and create new rhymes as opposed to those which “merely echo old moods […]” (Lowell, 1917). Thus, this principle encourages authors to construct new emotional contexts in their verses and put forth new concepts. Due to the fact that innovation is a part of progress and development, I particularly like this idea.
One of the examples of the application of these principles is Amy Lowell’s poem “In a Garden”. The speaker describes the atmosphere of the garden and fantasizes that she could see her beloved bathing in the swimming-pool. “In a Garden” is a clear and well-crafted and structured presentation of this single image, so the reader can assume the principle of exact presentation is put into practice. In particular, the author provides a comprehensive description of the sensations associated with the atmosphere of the garden: “The water fills the garden with its rushing,/In the midst of the quiet of close-clipped lawns” (Lowell, lines 6-7); “Damp smell the ferns in tunnels of stone, /Where trickle and plash the fountains, /Marble fountains, yellowed with much water” (Lowell, lines 8-10). Each word of the poem contributes to the presentation and the reader can “see” and “hear” what is happening in the garden and inhale the smell of the ferns. The presentation is rich, and it needs to be noted that the poetess uses simple and clear language with no subtexts, allusions or symbols. Instead, Lowell focuses on the physical aspects of the place rather than on the emotions, thoughts or reminiscence associated with the garden.
Besides, in the second part of the verse, the author integrates the image of her beloved into her description of the garden, and the reader still can easily visualize a white figure of a man (or a woman) bathing in the silver water under the moon: “And I wished for night and you./I wanted to see you in the swimming-pool,/ White and shining in the silver-flecked water” (Lowell, lines 16-18). Importantly, although the setting is a bit different (in the first part of the poem the garden is presented at a daytime), the author brings back the familiar characteristics of this garden which include the presence of the swimming pool and the water. As one can conclude, the poem complies with the principles set up by Lowell, as it is hard and clear and allows the reader to imagine and even “experience” what the poetess is writing about. Interestingly, each stanza ends with a reference to the water, which is probably the central image or the essence of the presentation. The first stanza informs that water “fills the garden with its rushing” (Lowell, line 7), in the second it is stated that the fountains are yellowed with water, the third describes the movement of the water: “It falls, the water; / And the air is throbbing with it./ With its gurgling and running./With its leaping, and deep, cool murmur” (Lowell, lines 12-15). The last contains the following description: “Night, and the water, and you in your whiteness, bathing!” (Lowell, line 22). In addition, the author uses free rhyme, as “It is true that modern subjects, modern habits of mind, seem to find more satisfactory expression in vers libre and “polyphonic prose” than in metrical verse” (Lowell, 1917).
Thus, the theory presented in the Imagist Manifesto in general works, as the poem is composed is accordance with the corresponding principles. The author managed to construct a well-structured and clear presentation with non-conventional rhymes and without vague generalities, so “In a Garden” is a successful example of Imagist poetry. However, it is difficult to identify the emotional mood and the poetess’s (or speaker’s personality) in the poem, and the work greatly resembles shots from a film with natural imagery. “In a Garden” is simple, clear and understandable, but it touches merely the senses of the reader, providing enough visual, auditory and olfactory messages, without communicating emotions and feelings, because the emotional component is “excluded” or replaced with descriptions of the physical environment. I admit that appreciation of nature is an important direction of poetry, but the natural imagery often serves as a source of symbols leading to the author’s own ideas, feelings and experiences. The reader can learn from them or draw valuable conclusions, whereas the Imagist poem rather belongs to the category of “art for art’s sake”. However, Imagism greatly influenced modern poetry, as it broadened the range of forms and instruments which can be used in poetry and inspired poets to find spontaneous and unexpected images which describe our daily life.
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