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Imagism

Imagism. Imagism. I. Historical Background (1) The First World War (1914 – 1918) Mainly fought in Europe between two opposite groups US attended the war at the end to share the benefits as a winner.

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Imagism

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  1. Imagism

  2. Imagism • I. Historical Background • (1) The First World War (1914 – 1918) • Mainly fought in Europe between two opposite groups • US attended the war at the end to share the benefits as a winner. • Two results of the war to US: Idealistic views of war turned to disillusionment (found from Hemingway’s novels); economic boom

  3. Imagism • (2) Science development (radio, automobile, movie) • (3) Losing faith (Nietzsche’s “death of God”) (purposeless, futile and chaotic life)

  4. Imagism • 4) Social changes • “Jazz Age” (1920s); broken old moral rules; women’s liberation; • social reforms; racial discrimination (Ku Klux Klan)

  5. Imagism • All in all, the beginning of the 20th century is a chaotic age. It was also a transitional age. After 1920s, US society stepped into its modern times.

  6. Imagism • (5) Literary scenes • A large group of writers began to make all kinds of literary experiments because they felt old literary form can’t express the new spirits.

  7. Imagism • Since the 1920s, US literature stepped into the modern age. And the beginning part of the 20th century was called the second renaissance in American literature. • (First Nobel Prize, several great writers, Southern Renaissance, Harlem Renaissance)

  8. Imagism • II. Imagist Movement • 1. Three phrases • (1) 1908 – 1909. London. T. E. Hulme • Basic principles (P159); more discussion, less writing

  9. Imagism • (2) 1912 – 1914. Ezra Pound • Manifesto, three principles, first anthology (P160) • (3) 1914 – 1917. Amy Lowell • No great achievements

  10. Imagism • 2. Contributions • Offering a new way of writing • Influenced lots of modern poets • 3. Limitation • A single dominate image is hardly capable of sustaining long poems.

  11. Imagism • 4. Connections with Chinese poems • Picture-like characters, using of images, short and concise, • abundant connotation • The imagists translated lots of Chinese poems into English.

  12. Imagism • II. Ezra Pound (1855 – 1972) • 1. Life • (1) born in Idaho, raised in Pennsylvania • (2) entered University of Penn., studied Romance languages • (3) traveled in Eu. and lead the Imagist movement

  13. Imagism • (4) broke with Amy Lowell and lived in Italy • (5) supported Mussolini in the second world war and after the war he was jailed because of betraying his motherland • (6) With the help of T. S. Elliot and some other famous writers, he was released and lived in hospital.

  14. Imagism • 2. Works • Famous poems: “In a Station of the Metro”; “A Pact” • Collections: • “Homage to Sextus Propertius” (modern translation of Old Roman poems)

  15. Imagism • “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” • (condemned the commercialization and depravity of arts and showed his own point of views on poetry and art) • “Cantos”

  16. Imagism • 3. Analysis • (1) He was influenced by Greek, Italy and Chinese poets. • (2) He wrote some fresh short poems and also some all-inclusive • long poems. • (3) Personal tone; open and spontaneous style • (4) Difficult to read and study; great influence on modern poetry

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