Historical Context
In 1988, when Robert Creeley unveiled "Fading Light," he stood as a revered elder in the realm of American poetry. His journey had taken him to India in the 1940s, connecting him with groundbreaking writers at Black Mountain College and later with the Beat poets. By the time this poem emerged, Creeley and his once-radical contemporaries had transitioned into celebrated pillars of the literary establishment. A familiar transformation had occurred—from rebellious innovators to respected academicians. By the late 1980s, Creeley, alongside illustrious figures like Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, found themselves warmly embraced by the very establishment they had once resisted.
In Creeley’s early years, modernist formalism, masterfully represented by W. H. Auden and T. S. Eliot, reigned supreme in academic circles. However, the late 1950s ushered in a swift change with the emergence of confessional poets like Robert Lowell and the arrival of Creeley’s Beat companions. The 1960s unfolded with a sense of upheaval, where poets often felt compelled to take political stands. Although Creeley empathized with anti-Vietnam War activists, his poetry remained untethered to political advocacy. By the time "Fading Light" was crafted, the American poetic landscape had splintered into diverse factions, each carving out its audience and identity in a myriad of publications and venues.
As Creeley composed this poem, a new wave of academic poetry gained prominence. While poetry has always had an academic bent—many poets drawn to teaching, like William Carlos Williams, a physician, or Wallace Stevens, a corporate attorney—the 1980s witnessed a boom in creative writing programs nationwide. This expansion birthed what Albert Goldbarth dubbed "po-biz," where graduates penned poetry, critiqued peers' works, and reaped rewards in academia and occasional monetary acclaim. This shift towards academia coincided with a sharp decline in the general poetry-reading public, as poets began crafting for niche audiences. Creeley had been part of the vanguard at Black Mountain College, a precursor to MFA programs, though the college itself didn't endure. Yet, subsequent generations of poets followed this academic trajectory.
In parallel, the late 1980s witnessed the emergence of a counter-trend—a resurgence of formalism in poetry. Public tastes diverged from poetic trends, with rhyme and meter having seemingly faded since Robert Frost’s passing. The 1960s and 1970s saw free verse dominate, sometimes producing exquisite works, such as those by Sylvia Plath. Yet, its ease of composition occasionally led to sentimentality and self-indulgence. Poets like Derek Walcott, Dana Gioia, Anne Stevenson, Donald Justice, and Seamus Heaney reignited interest in structured forms, publishing in outlets like The Formalist and The New Criterion. This formalist revival presented a stark contrast to much of Creeley’s oeuvre.
At the moment "Fading Light" debuted, other poets were forging new paths in American poetry. Slam poetry burst onto the scene, a competitive arena where audience members scored performances much like judges at a diving event. Slam nights saw poets vying for advancement through rounds, culminating in a victor. Often, the performances brimmed with humor or drama, frequently addressing issues of sexual, racial, or social injustice. Concurrently, poetry festivals emerged. The Geraldine R. Dodge Festival, born in 1986, curated readings and workshops in a vibrant celebration of the spoken word, inviting esteemed poets to engage with audiences. Meanwhile, non-juried festivals like the Austin International Poetry Festival provided platforms for all poets to perform. Both types aimed to return poetry to its roots, transforming the written word into captivating oratory for eager listeners.
Literary Style
Diction
Upon first glance, the diction of the poem appears deceptively simple. The vocabulary is devoid of peculiar or challenging terms. A casual observer might overlook the choice of words...
(This entire section contains 375 words.)
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altogether, but doing so would be an oversight. Creeley deliberately selects words that blend seamlessly into the text. There exists a historic tension in American literature between writers who embrace intricate diction and vivid imagery and those, like Creeley, who favor the authenticity of everyday language. This debate traces its roots back to the English Civil War, juxtaposing the ornate, scholarly poetry of the cavaliers against the plainspoken, direct Puritan prose. Creeley proudly waves the flag of clarity and unadorned expression.
Enjambment
The poem is woven with an artful tapestry of enjambment. This literary device propels the meaning of one line into the next, contrasting sharply with the confined, rhythmically self-contained lines found in much of traditional poetry. In Creeley's poem, every line—save for the concluding one—entices the reader onward, seamlessly flowing into the subsequent verse. There is no logical pause at the line's end that would accommodate a natural reading. Creeley skillfully applies enjambment to evoke poetic effects. Firstly, it creates a breathless descent into the imagery of the following lines. Secondly, it dissects phrases, marooning words at the line’s edge, thus drawing focus to them. While enjambment typically bestows a fluid, natural cadence to oral recitations, in this piece, it highlights the poem's crafted nature, rather than concealing it.
Syntactic Suspension
In numerous poems, resolutions do not become apparent until their final lines, a technique evident in Shakespearean sonnets and mirrored in Creeley's work. However, Creeley employs a distinctive approach by constructing an extensive "sentence" that defies conventional sentence structures. Despite using everyday language and incorporating multiple verbs, phrases, and clauses, this composition isn't prosaic; it’s a poetic manipulation of linguistic norms. Only in the poem’s closing phrase, “remembers the time,” does the reader discern that the initial line’s significance—a fading light summoned the memory of a supper long ago. Creeley expertly suspends syntax through enjambment, sparse punctuation, and the deliberate omission of clarifying words, all to delay the poem’s revelation until its final breath. This syntactic suspension renders the poem intriguingly elusive to interpret.
Media Adaptations
Poetry in Motion, a visionary creation helmed by Ron Mann in 1982, found a new audience with its DVD release by Public Media in 2002. This captivating film showcases an ensemble of Beat poets, including the renowned Robert Creeley, captivating live audiences with their compelling performances.
In 2001, the world was treated to the auditory delight of a CD titled Robert Creeley, featuring Creeley himself reading his evocative poetry. This mesmerizing collection was made available through the Jagjaguwar label.
Adding a unique twist to his poetic renditions, Creeley teamed up with a jazz trio for the CD The Way out Is Via the Door released in 2002, infusing his verses with rhythmic jazz undertones.
Online Resources
For those yearning to explore Creeley's work further, the Electronic Poetry Center provides a comprehensive website dedicated to him at www.wings.buffalo.edu, offering a treasure trove of links and selected poems.
Additionally, the Academy of American Poets hosts an extensive online resource about Creeley at www.poets.org, teeming with a myriad of links for eager explorers.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Bacon, Terry R., “Closure in Robert Creeley’s Poetry,” in Modern Poetry Studies, Winter 1977, pp. 227–47.
Bernstein, Charles, Interview in Just in Time, New Directions, 2001.
Byrd, Don, “Creeley, Robert,” in Contemporary Poets, 6th ed., edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 1996.
Clark, Tom, Robert Creeley and the Genius of the American Common Place, New Directions, 1993, p. 82.
Creeley, Robert, Just in Time: Poems, 1984–1994, New Directions, 2001, pp. 7, 8, 30, 201.
Dukes, Carol Muske, “Straight from the Hearth,” in Los Angeles Times Book Review, June 23, 1991, p. 8.
Ford, Arthur L., Robert Creeley, Twayne Publishers, 1978, pp. 24, 36, 117.
Gunn, Thom, “Small Persistent Difficulties,” in Robert Creeley’s Life and Work, edited by John Wilson, University of Michigan Press, 1987, p. 406.
Kaganoff, Penny, Review of Windows, in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 237, No. 15, April 13, 1990, p. 59.
MacGowan, Christopher, “William Carlos Williams,” in The Columbia History of American Poetry, edited by Jay Parini, MJF Books, 1993, p. 416.
Piper, Bill, “Robert Creeley,” in American Writers, Suppl. 4, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996, pp. 139–61.
Whited, Stephen, Review of Just in Time: Poems, 1984–1994, in Book, March–April 2002, p. 78.
Further Reading
Campbell, James, This Is the Beat Generation: New York— San Francisco—Paris, University of California Press, 2001. This book introduces readers to the major poets and writers of the Beat Generation, among whom are Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Jack Kerouac, and Robert Creeley. It provides cultural and historical background for this literary movement.
Clark, Tom, Robert Creeley and the Genius of the American Common Place, New Directions, 1993. Clark’s slim book contains a great deal of biographical material and the poet’s “Autobiography.” It also has many photographs and some poems, and includes transcripts of Creeley’s interviews.
Creeley, Robert, The Collected Essays of Robert Creeley, University of California Press, 1989. This is a collection of essays, reviews, and miscellaneous literary correspondence edited by the poet. Although these writings seem disconnected at first glance, they provide an insight into Creeley’s aesthetic sensibility.
Edelberg, Cynthia Dubin, Robert Creeley’s Poetry: A Critical Introduction, University of New Mexico Press, 1978. This book covers Creeley’s early poetry, and it contains a large number of commentaries on individual poems.
