Marianne Moore Criticism
Marianne Moore (1887–1972) stands as a pivotal figure in American poetry, bridging the transition to Modernism with her experimental forms, precise descriptive detail, and innovative use of meter and rhyme. Her work extends beyond poetry into essays, translations, and editorial endeavors, marking her as a versatile and influential literary force. As detailed in the essay Marianne Moore, her career showcases meticulous craftsmanship and an unwavering commitment to literary precision.
Moore's literary journey began in an intellectually stimulating environment and was further shaped by her education at Bryn Mawr College. Her evolution during these formative years is explored in To Work 'Lovingly': Marianne Moore at Bryn Mawr, 1905-1909. Her early works found publication in college magazines and significant periodicals like Poetry and The Egoist, with collections such as Poems (1921) and Observations (1924) cementing her reputation as a Modernist poet.
Critics have varied in their reception of Moore's work. Some, like those discussed in ‘An Artist in Refusing’, praise her for transcending traditional gender roles, while others critique her complexity or emotional detachment. Nonetheless, Moore's precision and innovation earned the respect of contemporaries such as William Carlos Williams and T. S. Eliot, with her poetry lauded for interweaving diverse strands from multiple disciplines, as noted in Introduction: The Wizard in Words.
Ezra Pound recognized her intellectual depth, describing her work as "logopoeia"—expressive of clever engagements with modern despair, and Harriet Monroe emphasized her intellectual rigor and wit. T. S. Eliot highlighted her detailed innovation in rhyming, while John Crowe Ransom admired her subtlety and wit. Lloyd Frankenberg praised her ability to blend the ordinary with the exotic, expanding poetic boundaries.
Moore's work, such as "The Steeple-Jack" analyzed by Louise Bogan, employs sensory detail and expository style to explore themes like safety and danger. Randall Jarrell charted her evolution from abstract to direct, recognizing an increased moral insight. Critics like Hugh Kenner and Helen Vendler appreciated her original exploration of the soul, while Hilton Kramer valued her early irony and moral intensity.
Moore's poetry, celebrated for its acute observations, often merges images to capture the essence of objects and the human condition, transcending gendered expectations, as T. S. Eliot observed. Her work synthesizes Renaissance humanism and Protestant moralism, expanding modern poetry's frontiers. R. P. Blackmur noted her blend of technique and substance, and Louise Bogan recognized her bridging of past and present.
Her later poems exhibit a distinctive moral judgment, moving beyond the objectivity of her earlier work. As described by David Hsin-Fu Wand, her integration of cultural elements offers a unique American perspective, diverging from contemporaries. Moore's focus on subjects' autonomy, such as animals, identified by Hugh Kenner, exemplifies this. Her work's intricate prose-like rhythm, highlighted by Stanley Kunitz, celebrates beauty in the natural world.
Her early poetry's objectivity gives way to a profound engagement with humanity, noted by Wallace Stevens in "He 'Digesteth Harde Yron.'" Moore's precise language and observational prowess foster a dialogue between self and world, creating a conversational and moral exploration praised by Pamela White Hadas. These attributes place Moore among the era's finest poets, as affirmed by William Carlos Williams.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Moore, Marianne (Vol. 8)
-
Moore, Marianne (Vol. 13)
-
Marianne Moore (1923)
(summary)
In the following essay, T. S. Eliot praises Marianne Moore for her precise and skillful use of language, her ability to merge images seamlessly, and her distinctive style that transcends gender-based expectations, comparing her poetic femininity to that of Christina Rossetti while highlighting the complexity and richness of her cultural influences.
-
The Method of Marianne Moore
(summary)
In the following essay, R. P. Blackmur argues that Marianne Moore's poetry exemplifies a unique blend of technique and substance, employing punctuation, rhyme, and structure as integral components to enrich her work with layers of meaning and emotional depth, distinguishing her style with a distinctive interplay of formal grace and innovative expressions.
-
American Timeless
(summary)
In the following essay, Louise Bogan argues that Marianne Moore's poetry uniquely synthesizes Renaissance humanism and Protestant moralism, creating original works that bridge past and present while expanding the boundaries of modern poetry with a blend of tradition and innovation.
-
The Dragon and the Kylin: The Use of Chinese Symbols and Myths in Marianne Moore's Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, David Hsin-Fu Wand examines Marianne Moore's poetry, highlighting her use of Chinese symbols, myths, and the concept of far-fetched associations, arguing that her integration of the vitality of mythical Chinese creatures like the dragon and kylin enriches her work with a unique blend of precision and imaginative complexity.
-
Disliking It
(summary)
In the following essay, Hugh Kenner explores Marianne Moore's distinctive poetic style, characterized by visual intricacy, moral contemplation, and an eschewal of traditional poetic forms, as well as her focus on the autonomy of her subjects, which often include animals, reflecting a uniquely American poetic discovery that diverges from the self-appreciative tendencies of her contemporaries like Hemingway.
-
Marianne Moore (1923)
(summary)
- Moore, Marianne (Vol. 1)
- Moore, Marianne (Vol. 2)
-
Moore, Marianne (Vol. 19)
-
A List of Books
(summary)
In the following essay, Ezra Pound describes Marianne Moore's poetry as embodying "logopoeia," characterized by intellectual engagement and national distinctiveness, suggesting it is the expression of clever individuals confronting despair and demonstrating a uniquely American temperament.
-
A Symposium on Marianne Moore
(summary)
In the following essay, Harriet Monroe critiques Marianne Moore's poetry for its intellectual rigidity and controlled lyricism, juxtaposing it with her sharp wit and satirical prowess, which, although occasionally sublime, often veers into esoteric eccentricity.
-
Introduction to 'Selected Poems'
(summary)
In the following essay, T. S. Eliot argues that Marianne Moore's poetry is characterized by meticulous detail and controlled emotional restraint, distinguishing itself through innovative use of rhyme and formal patterns, ultimately contributing to a durable body of work that invigorates the English language with her original sensibility and intelligence.
-
On Being Modern with Distinction
(summary)
In the following essay, John Crowe Ransom argues that Marianne Moore's poetry, marked by its subtlety and minor effects, offers a refined aesthetic diverging from the "greatness" associated with more heroic impulses, and praises her unique, unobtrusive use of rhyme as a form of wit rather than evasion.
-
The View
(summary)
In the following essay, Lloyd Frankenberg argues that Marianne Moore's poetry is characterized by a precise and imaginative observation that revitalizes the reader's experience, allowing her to integrate both the ordinary and the exotic into her work, while adhering to a form that transcends traditional poetic boundaries.
-
Reading Contemporary Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Louise Bogan explores Marianne Moore's distinctive poetic method in "The Steeple-Jack," emphasizing Moore's use of sensory detail, underlying themes of safety and danger, her expository style, and her ability to distill human experience with a prose-like rhythm and insightful use of quotations.
-
Her Shield
(summary)
In the following essay, Randall Jarrell examines Marianne Moore's poetry, highlighting her unique style characterized by precision, irony, and restraint, and discussing her evolution from abstract and mannered early works to more direct and serious later poems, while also addressing her themes of armour, difficulty, and moral insight.
-
Meditation and Enactment
(summary)
In the following essay, Hugh Kenner critiques Marianne Moore's poetry, arguing that while her later public-oriented poems align with mainstream sentiments, her unique and disciplined early work remains underexplored and crucial for its contributions to language and poetic form.
-
Books and the Arts: 'The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore'
(summary)
In the following essay, Brad Leithauser examines Marianne Moore's poetic style, highlighting her unique influences and language, her penchant for whimsical imagery and mythical hybrids, and her ability to craft vivid, instructive verse despite her perceived shortcomings.
-
Marianne Moore
(summary)
In the following essay, Vendler argues that Marianne Moore's early poetry is characterized by its rejection of common labels like "Imagism" and "syllabic verse," focusing instead on exploring internal states of the soul, using metaphor to critique societal norms, with a unique rhythm that reflects her originality and personal ethical inquiries.
-
Freezing the Blood and Making One Laugh
(summary)
In the following essay, Hilton Kramer argues that Marianne Moore's late-life fame as a quaint literary figure obscures the stringent vision and radical originality of her early poetry, highlighting the irony and moral intensity in her work, especially in poems like "Marriage," despite her inclination towards self-revision which sometimes marred her own creations.
-
A List of Books
(summary)
- Moore, Marianne (Vol. 4)
-
Moore, Marianne (Vol. 10)
-
Pangolin of Poets
(summary)
In the following essay, Stanley Kunitz contends that Marianne Moore's poetry is uniquely serene and meticulously crafted, characterized by her distinct prose-like rhythms and intricate structures that eschew traditional metrics, reflecting a clean, orderly mind that finds beauty and tension in detailed observations of the natural world.
-
About One of Marianne Moore's Poems
(summary)
In the following essay, Wallace Stevens argues that Marianne Moore's poem "He 'Digesteth Harde Yron'" exemplifies her ability to transcend mere factual reality and create an individual aesthetic reality, highlighting her unique approach to subject matter and abstraction.
-
Miss Marianne Moore's Zoo
(summary)
In the following essay, Cleanth Brooks argues that Marianne Moore's use of animals in her poetry provides a unique perspective on the human world, treating them with dignity and seriousness while avoiding romanticization or sentimentality, thus allowing poetic exploration from outside conventional human viewpoints.
-
Marianne Moore
(summary)
In the following essay, William Carlos Williams argues that Marianne Moore's poetic talent transcends the limitations of modernist pessimism by using art's mathematical precision to reveal profound connections between humans and the natural world, positioning her as the finest contemporary American poet with the ability to evoke significant insights from seemingly minor details.
-
Pamela White Hadas
(summary)
In the following essay, Pamela White Hadas explores Marianne Moore's poetic style, emphasizing her precise observations, intricate use of language, and how her attention to detail, coupled with a balance between poetic wonder and scientific curiosity, creates a unique interplay between selfhood and the external world, ultimately aspiring to a conversational and moral fabric of expression.
-
Pangolin of Poets
(summary)
-
Moore, Marianne (Poetry Criticism)
-
Marianne Moore
(summary)
In the following essay, Garrigue provides an assessment of the poetry and career of Marianne Moore.
-
Art as Exact Perception
(summary)
In the following essay, Holley discusses the poems Moore published during her years at Bryn Mawr College, all of which appeared in the campus magazines Tipyn O'Bob and The Lantern.
-
Diligence, Magic
(summary)
In the following essay, Holley provides an overview of poems written during the first several years of Moore's post-college career.
-
Nonchalances of the Mind
(summary)
In the following essay, Holley examines the unique characteristics of Moore's poetry during the decade from the mid-1940s through the mid-1950s, a period during which she received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
-
Reaffirmations: Late Period Poems
(summary)
In the following essay, Engel offers a critical overview of the poetry produced by Moore from the late 1950s through the publication of “Prevalent at One Time” in the fall of 1970, the last of her verse to appear during her lifetime.
-
Re-seeing the Sea: Marianne Moore's ‘A Grave’ as a Revision of the Tradition
(summary)
In the following essay, Merrin offers a critical assessment of Moore's poem, “A Grave.” The essay discusses the various versions of the poem and explores themes of looking and re-viewing, as well as Moore's response to the male-dominated poetic tradition.
-
Introduction: The Wizard in Words
(summary)
In the following essay, Erickson offers an introduction to Moore's poetry, focusing in particular on a sense of magic and imagination inherent in the poet's work.
-
‘An Artist in Refusing’
(summary)
In the following essay, Heuving explores the influence of gender on Moore's voice and identity as a literary figure among predominantly male peers.
-
Moore's ‘High’ Modernism: A Comparison with Her Male Peers
(summary)
In the following essay, Heuving contrasts specific examples of Moore's poetry with thematically similar poems by T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams.
-
To Work ‘Lovingly’: Marianne Moore at Bryn Mawr, 1905-1909
(summary)
In the following essay, Hicok explores “Bryn Mawr's crucial significance to [Moore's] development as a poet.”
-
Marianne Moore
(summary)
- Further Reading