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Lauren Kruse
Poets of the American Renaissance
Among the most recognized American
poets, especially of the American Renaissance, or Romantic Era, are Edgar Allan
Poe, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.
With each one bringing their own unique styles and forms, they left many
works to be enjoyed and studied for generations to come.
While I was not very familiar with these authors at the start of the
semester, I soon began to recognize elements unique to each; such as Poe’s
attraction to the gothic, Dickinson’s often ambiguous meaning and Whitman’s
fascination with nature. In the
following, I will explore several poems (The
City in the Sea – Poe, I Heard a Fly
Buzz, When I Died – Dickinson, When I
Heard the Learn’d Astronomer – Whitman) and how each one reflects the
author’s style. Also addressed, are the technical aspects of each poet, such as
their use of form, rhyme and meter.
Poe is possibly the most identifiable of
all the poets. Per his constant
fascination with the gothic, Poe immediately goes to images of death and despair
in The City in the Sea, “Lo! Death
has reared himself a throne / In a strange city lying alone…” He goes on to
describe the chilling scene through his use of Romantic rhetoric, employing
superlatives to provide imagery, ever in excess.
Visions of the “lurid sea,” “Babylon-like walls,” “gaping graves,” and
“luminous waves,” are a common occurrence among the works of Poe.
Relying on the macabre and gothic, Poe leaves his readers with vivid
images floating through their imaginations, yet instead of warm content, he
leaves a certain chill in the air.
Similar to Poe, Dickinson writes often
of death, yet through her own unique approach to poetry.
While Poe writes in great detail, leaving a vivid image, Dickinson’s
works are often short and fairly ambiguous.
One is never quite sure of her intended meaning, which is perhaps why so
many find her fascinating. Between
the little known biographical information of Dickinson, and her short lifespan,
there are few resources available to provide any hints as to her intended
meaning.
I Heard a Fly Buzz, When I Died
approaches the matter of death even in the title, describing the view as one who
lies dying surrounded by grieving onlookers and ending with the somber lines,
“And then the windows failed – and then / I could not see to see.” However,
before death calls sight away, Dickinson interposes a blue, buzzing fly between
the failing eyes and the light of the window, leaving a somber moment devoid of
final peace.
Compared to the dark, ambiguous and
perhaps confusing tensions of Poe and Dickinson, Whitman’s work was the most
enjoyable for me to read. Often
seeming more like prose than poetry, Whitman focuses on images of nature;
reveling in the peace of the outdoors and the beauty of simplicity.
Combining elements of Realism and Romanticism,
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer,
tells of a man listening to an astronomer.
As he tires hearing of proofs, figures and charts, the man wanders
outside to simply watch and enjoy the beauty of the stars above.
Thus, moving from the analytical facts of Realism, into the mystery of
the Romantic. Whitman’s enjoyment
of nature and the simpler things leaves the reader pondering the deeper meanings
of life, while providing a comfortable air to do so.
The technical side of each poet varies,
as Poe is by far the most formal of the three, and Whitman is the most relaxed.
As noted by Diane Alonzo in her essay
The MVPs of Poetry, “[Poe’s]
ballad-like formal verse, that makes his poetry musical, is seen by his use of
fixed meter and rhyme.” Throughout The
City in the Sea, and in many of his works, Poe uses a semi-regular
rhyme-scheme, such as the A-A, B-B, or A-B, A-B, allowing the words to flow
along the page. Dickinson uses
formal verse techniques, interspersed with free verse, as her words do not
always have an obvious rhyme or meter.
For example, I Heard a Fly
Buzz, When I Died offers little rhyme at the beginning and falls into a more
formal pattern in the final lines.
Whitman could easily be mistaken for a writer of Romantic prose, as he wrote
almost exclusively in free verse.
Whitman’s use of anaphora in When I Heard
the Learn’d Astronomer, helps identify him as a poet, if not already known
by the reader. “When I heard…/ When the proofs…/ When I was shown…/ When I,
sitting…” here, each successive phrase builds the tension of a man frustrated
with reality, seeking inner peace found in the simplicity of nature.
Throughout this course I have come to
appreciate the works of these three poets, while becoming more familiar with
their unique styles. While the
poetry of Poe is full of despair and gloom, he is an excellent study on the use
of the gothic themes, Romantic rhetoric, and vivid depictions.
Dickinson displays the ambiguity found among great poets, allowing her
readers to develop their own understandings, while also experimenting with rhyme
and meter. Lastly, as my personal
favorite to read, Whitman wrote of reality, while offering the hopes and dreams
of the Romantic; reminding his readers that life is not merely facts and
figures, but that there is a space for simple awe.
Overall, each Poet brought their individual strengths to the page,
leaving the literary world just a bit richer.
