The Poetry of Disturbance: The Discomforts of Postwar American Poetry (Cambridge Studies in American Literature and Culture)

In The Poetry of Disturbance, David Bergman argues that post-war poetry underwent a significant if subtle shift in emphasis, moving from the modernist concern with the poem as a visual text to one that was chiefly oral in nature. The resulting change was disturbing, especially for those brought up on the principles of high modernism. This new stress on orality implied a shift in the economy of the poem, away from the austerity of language advocated by Pound and Eliot to a style that conveyed freedom, expansiveness, and an innovative directness. This book argues that post-war poetry underwent a significant if subtle shift in emphasis, moving from the modernist concern with the poem as a visual text to one that was chiefly oral in nature. The resulting change was disturbing, especially for those brought up on the principles of high modernism. This new stress on orality implied a shift in the economy of the poem, away from the austerity of language advocated by Pound and Eliot to a style that conveyed freedom, expansiveness, and an innovative directness 1. Poems That Disturb -- 2. Disturbing Modernism -- 3. Orality And Copia -- 4. Disturbing Voices -- 5. A Queer Directness -- 6. The Long Poem. David Bergman, Towson University. Piece Is Unnumbered; Numbering Confirmed By Publisher Includes Bibliographical References (pages 165-171) And Index. Content: 1. Poems that disturb -- 2. Disturbing modernism -- 3. Orality and Copia -- 4. Disturbing voices -- 5. A queer directness -- 6. The long poem. In this book, David Bergman argues that post-war poetry underwent a significant shift from a visual to oral emphasis