Criticisms of William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams is often recognized as a poet that was brave enough to step outside the traditional bounds of poetry and write about what moved him. These events were often simple things that might have been overlooked by any other writer, which illustrates Williams' ability to use his poetic vision to his advantage. Critics Linda Wagner and Charles Doyle have explored Williams' creative style and determined that, among many things, he was a poet that enjoyed focusing on the common aspect of life. In Linda Wagner's article, "William Carlos Williams: Overview," she focuses on how Williams "established many new principles in the writing of his poetry" (Wagner). She surmises that much of his creative technique stemmed from his firm belief that the "common American was an apt source of character" (Wagner). According to Wagner, Williams discovered a "joy in re-creating natural speech" (Wagner). Charles Doyle, in his article, "William Carlos Williams and the American Poem," concurs with Wagner's notion adding, "perception and the imaginative disposition of perceptions, these are primary to the poem" (Doyle). "Spring and All," "The Red Wheelbarrow," "To a Poor Old Woman," and "The Young Housewife" are examples of Williams'
William Carlos Williams is significant to the world of poetry because he moved beyond what was considered to be traditional and focused on experience and objects as subjects of his poetry. Critics Linda Wagner and Charles Doyle recognize that the poet's style demonstrate how Williams' saw past the ordinary in simple acts and observations. Doyle says for the poet,' "Seeing clearly was, for him, the great virtue" (Doyle). Anything that brings itself into the mind of the poet, "yields up its 'radiant gist'" (Williams qtd. in Doyle). For Williams, this kind of event might be something that is simply stumbled upon without thought or intention. However, the "process is completed by the poet by means of invention or structuring" (Doyle). The poem "The Red Wheelbarrow," is an excellent example of how the poet expresses this form. to call the ice-man, fish-man, and stands Here we see the poet once again, turning his poetic eye to those things that might otherwise be overlooked. What is also interesting about this poem is how the poet uses his eyes to see what he cannot possibly see, which is the housewife moving behind the walls of the house. Here we see how the poet is exercising his imaginative muscle. It is also important to note that the poet describes the woman as a "fallen leaf" (9), which becomes significant when he drives away in his car with the sound of the wheels crackling over the dried leaves. Here we see how the poet might have seen the housewife as an object of desire momentarily but just as soon as the thought entered his mind, it left it as he drove on the carry on with the business of his day. Once again, the poet is focusing on one simple and almost insignificant experience, turning it into a matter of importance. He also points out that Williams also experimented with poetic structures and forms that provided him with a flexibility with language. She maintains that Williams subscribed to the philosophy that "'Nothing is good save the new'" (Williams qtd. in Doyle) simply because what really matters when composing poetry is the "here and now, our immediate experience" (Doyle). Wagner points out how Williams was struggling against centuries of a particular poetic technique, style,
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Approximate Word count = 1500
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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