AL-Chapter7-1Ezra Pound.pptVIP

American Literature Part Four Modern American Literature (1910--) Chapter 7 American literature after WWI 7.1 Ezra Pound (1885—1972) I. Life and Career born in Hailey, Idaho in 1885 spent his formative years in Wyancote, Pennsylvania studied at the University of Pennsylvania for two years then transferred to Hamilton college, receiving a degree in 1905. I. Life and Career resided in London from 1908 to 1920 --where he associated with many writers, including William Butler Yeats, for whom he worked as a secretary, and T.S. Eliot, whose Waste Land he drastically edited and improved. I. Life and Career a link between the United States and Britain acting as a contributing editor to Harriet Monroes important Chicago magazine Poetry spearheading the new school of poetry known as Imagism, which advocated a clear, highly visual presentation I. Life and Career championed various poetic approaches after Imagism eventually moved to Italy --where he became caught up in Italian Fascism I. Life and Career Pound was often called “the poet’s poet” because his profound influence on 20th century writing in English. Pound believed that poetry is the highest of arts. He challenged many of the common views of his time and spent 12 years in an American mental hospital. II. Literary Works His life-work was The Cantos, which he wrote and published until his death. II. Literary Works II. Literary Works The Cantos contain brilliant passages, but their allusions to works of literature and art from many eras and cultures make them difficult. II. Literary Works Pound has been called the inventor of Chinese poetry for our time. Beginning in 1913 with the notebooks of the Orientalist Ernest Fenollosa, he pursued a lifelong study of ancient Chinese texts, and translated among others the writings of Confucius. II. Literary Works Pounds translations based on Fenollosa’s notes, collected in CATHAY (1915), are considered among the most beautiful of his writi