The Skaters (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
The Poem
The Skaters is an extensive meditation, its 739 lines divided into four sections of unequal lengths. The title, taken from the Giacomo Meyerbeer ballet Les Patineurs, introduces the controlling metaphor of the poem, figures gliding swiftly over opaque surfaces, and rightly suggests that the poem’s technique will be one of actions rather than of statements and conclusions.
The poem is written in the first person, yet as with many of John Ashbery’s poems, the identity of the speaker is in constant, restless metamorphosis. One can never at any...
[The entire page is 1545 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
