Wallace Stevens
Paperback | Pages: 560 pages Rating: 4.27 | 10772 Users | 160 Reviews
Point Based On Books The Collected Poems
| Title | : | The Collected Poems |
| Author | : | Wallace Stevens |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 560 pages |
| Published | : | February 19th 1990 by Vintage (first published 1954) |
| Categories | : | Poetry. Classics. Literature. American |
Explanation Supposing Books The Collected Poems
i fell in love with two men in my undergrad senior seminar. it was on wallace stevens and t.s. eliot.the way i loved both of these writers hurt. (i'll set eliot aside for another time).
stevens kills me when he uses very innocent symbols - making ice cream, in "the emperor of ice cream", for instance - to offset the tragedy that's occurring. front-loaded with the promise of the sugar stuff, it seems like the poem will go somewhere happy, maybe to a coming of age resolultion.
but it's not that simple. everything wallace does gets so much darker. when you find out why the ice cream is being made, what it's for, everything changes. and it's something that's resonated in my skull since the day i read it. when i teach this poem to students in my undergrad class, they struggle. they struggle for entire class periods. and when i explain it, they look as if they've been punched.
wallace turns the reader into a puzzle solver. each word is a piece and even if the pieces appear to fit one way, you must do a bit of thinking before you can begin to understand the picture that's really unfolding. it's an incredible skill. it still awes me.
my two favorite pieces from this collection were obviously "the emperor of ice cream" and the other was "the idea of order at key west" which i think i loved so much because it reminded me of the end of "the love song of j. alfred prufrock" by eliot. the sea, the singing, the questions posed - but i think that's up to the reader to figure out.
regardless, i love this collection. i deeply love this collection.
Mention Books To The Collected Poems
| Original Title: | The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens |
| ISBN: | 0679726691 (ISBN13: 9780679726692) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1955), National Book Award for Poetry (1955) |
Rating Based On Books The Collected Poems
Ratings: 4.27 From 10772 Users | 160 ReviewsArticle Based On Books The Collected Poems
very fond of the harmonium and ideas of order collections. some particular favorites: "another weeping woman""from the misery of don joost""the worms at heaven's gate""anecdote of men by the thousand""of the surface of things" "the place of the solitaires" "the curtains in the house of the metaphysician" "six significant landscapes" "tattoo" "the wind shifts" "farewell to florida" "the idea of order at key west" "anglais mort à florence"I am re-reading this now. It's a bit wordy, but full of an elegant, Godly style. In the reading, I am among Greeks -- gods and ephebes --, strange flowers, outdated seraphs, the vulgate, Ozymandias, and constantly, the Poet struggling between two states to find a "Supreme Fiction."Maybe it should be four stars?? No. There's too much in here.
I am re-reading this now. It's a bit wordy, but full of an elegant, Godly style. In the reading, I am among Greeks -- gods and ephebes --, strange flowers, outdated seraphs, the vulgate, Ozymandias, and constantly, the Poet struggling between two states to find a "Supreme Fiction."Maybe it should be four stars?? No. There's too much in here.
i have a couple of his poems on my wall in my art studio.great poeti mean to buy a good edition of his poetry and have not had a chance to investigate which anthology to get? any suggestions? which is the best to get?here is a taste: my favorite Wallace poem:The Idea of Order at Key WestWallace StevensShe sang beyond the genius of the sea.The water never formed to mind or voice,Like a body wholly body, flutteringIts empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motionMade constant cry, caused constantly a
"He wanted his heart to stop beatingAnd his mind to rest in a permanent realization"I feel that as a poet Stevens always seems to be speaking directly to you. I've rarely encountered the first-person voice in his work. It's as though he has devised these poems from a place of deepest and most personal significance, and they are completed now for none other than you. His poetic voice declares and justifies its own authority -- the language is crafted beautifully and inventively in such masterful
Wallace Steven is probably my favorite modern poet. His imagery, style, subject matter all catch me off guard, and that's something a good poet should do. One poem to share would be "The Snow Man".One must have a mind of winterTo regard the frost and the boughsOf the pine-trees crusted with snow,And have been cold a long timeTo behold the junipers shagged with ice,The spruces rough in the distant glitterOf the January sun; and not to thinkOf any misery in the sound of the wind,In the sound of a
I have been trying for years to get into Stevens. Finally did and he is well worth the effort. If you have tried and "put it back on the shelf" as I did, read his small book of essays "The Necessary Angel" and Helen Vendler's "Words Chosen Out of Desire". They helped me see what he was all about.Wallace Stevens, "The Man with the Blue Guitar" (excerpts) I The man bent over his guitar, A shearsman of sorts. The day was green. They said, "You have a blue guitar, You do not play things as they
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