Edwin (George) Morgan Criticism
Edwin (George) Morgan, a Scottish poet, essayist, and translator, is celebrated for his experimental approach to language, form, and subject matter. His work often incorporates the rhythms of Scots verse and utilizes vernacular language, unconventional typography, and phonetics. Morgan's poetry explores a wide range of themes, from love and science fiction to social issues, demonstrating a belief in human progress and an appreciation for ordinary life. His poetic style has drawn comparisons to both Hugh MacDiarmid and Joyce for its wit and complexity.
Morgan's major collection, The Second Life (1968), was acclaimed for its straightforward language and vivid imagery, employing a free verse style reminiscent of Walt Whitman. In Instamatic Poems (1972), he experimented with capturing events objectively through found poetry, though the collection received mixed reviews for its linguistic execution. From Glasgow to Saturn (1973) further showcased his versatility, combining previously published works like the Glasgow Sonnets with experimental poetry. Critics noted the collection’s unevenness due to its varied styles, as discussed by Alan Brownjohn and John Matthias.
With The New Divan (1977), Morgan's work was lauded for its ambitious blend of themes and innovative wordplay, achieving a broader acceptance of his eclectic style. This work was highlighted as a significant step in his career by critics like Desmond Graham. The retrospective collection Poems of Thirty Years (1982) further cemented his reputation as a daring and imaginative poet, as noted by Dick Davis and John Lucas. While some critics view his eclecticism as trendy, Morgan remains a significant figure in contemporary poetry for his bold innovations and diverse thematic exploration.
Contents
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Versions
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In the following essay, Julian Symons argues that Edwin Morgan's work in The Second Life showcases his wit and innovation in concrete poetry, despite occasional sentimentality, and praises his ability to combine humor with poignant social commentary within a vibrant poetic landscape.
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Modified Smiles
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In the following essay, Martin Dodsworth contends that Edwin Morgan's The Second Life is an inconsistent yet worthwhile collection, featuring both innovative semi-concrete poems and conventional pieces, with the former excelling in their entirety despite the latter's sometimes dreary emotional expression.
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Thomas E. Luddy
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In the following essay, Thomas E. Luddy praises Edwin Morgan's The Second Life for its innovative range from concrete poetry to fantasy, highlighting themes of renewal in a surreal world and commemorative poems dedicated to cultural figures such as Hemingway, Monroe, and Piaf.
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Anne Cluysenaar
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In the following essay, Anne Cluysenaar critiques Edwin Morgan's Glasgow Sonnets, arguing that while the poems evoke sympathy and indignation towards Glasgow's poor, they ultimately fail to transcend aestheticization and adequately convey the harsher realities of poverty, partly due to the limitations of the sonnet form.
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Identity Parade
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In the following essay, Alan Brownjohn critiques Edwin Morgan's From Glasgow to Saturn as an uneven collection that reveals the diverse facets of Morgan's poetic personality, yet suggests a poet struggling to define his artistic direction despite his evident intelligence and creativity.
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From Glasgow to Saturn
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In the following review, Dabney Stuart critiques Edwin (George) Morgan's From Glasgow to Saturn for its playful experimentation with genres like science fiction and American westerns, but highlights the collection's true merit in its love lyrics, prose poems, and particularly the "Glasgow Sonnets."
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Travellers
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In the following essay, John Matthias critiques Edwin Morgan's poetry for its broad range and versatility, which, while engaging and energetic, lacks cohesion and coherence in his collection From Glasgow to Saturn, despite showcasing Morgan's willingness to experiment with language and multiple poetic forms.
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Notwithstanding Imagism; or, The Limits of Austerity
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In the following essay, Desmond Graham argues that Edwin Morgan's diverse and eclectic poetic style reflects a profound engagement with the multiplicity and unpredictability of the world, as he explores themes of time, language, and human experience through both impersonation and direct human engagement, particularly in his collection The New Divan.
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Edwin Morgan
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In the following essay, Michael Schmidt examines Edwin Morgan's poetry, highlighting its engagement with contemporary environment and language, its exploration of themes such as realism and social optimism, and its experimentation with form and voice, despite criticisms of linguistic thinness and a lack of a singular poetic voice.
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Three 'Neo-Moderns': Ian Hamilton Finlay, Edwin Morgan, Christopher Middleton
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In the following essay, Alan Young critiques Edwin Morgan's poetic experimentation as both innovative and rooted in tradition, highlighting works like "From Glasgow to Saturn" as containing both successful and less effective experimental poems, with some failing to create the desired surprise and wonder due to their mechanical nature.
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Private Poems
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In the following essay, Dick Davis critiques Edwin Morgan's Poems of Thirty Years, highlighting its mix of obscure and engaging elements, with the poet's strengths in parody and invective amidst a diverse thematic range, but also pointing out the potential for monotony in its ambitious risks.
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Ignorant Eyes
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In the following essay, John Lucas evaluates Edwin Morgan's Poems of Thirty Years as a collection marked by its imaginative diversity, noting that although some poems lack emotional depth, the work remains engaging through its inventive exploration of genres such as science fiction, exemplified by pieces like 'The New Divan' and 'Memories of Earth.'
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Alasdair D.F. Macrae
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In the following essay, Alasdair D.F. Macrae assesses Edwin Morgan's Poems of Thirty Years, highlighting Morgan's innovative approach to poetry through playful experimentation with form, his embrace of technological themes, and the collection's challenge to younger poets, despite some poems being perceived as insubstantial or narrowly topical.
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Celts
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In the following essay, John Wain praises Edwin Morgan as a deeply intelligent poet of ideas, likening him to Browning for his ambitious range and intellectual curiosity, while acknowledging Morgan's occasional lack of lyrical quality and the varied reception of his more experimental works.