Philip Whalen Criticism
Philip Whalen, an American poet and novelist, emerged as a significant figure within the Beat movement of the 1950s, a group known for its experimental forms and cultural rebellion. Whalen's poetry is celebrated for its emotional resonance achieved through evocative language and free association, a technique stemming from his engagement with the San Francisco-based avant-garde writers. His informal syntax, irreverent wit, and Zen philosophy influence reflect the ethos of the Beats.
Whalen's acclaimed collection, On Bear's Head: Selected Poems (1969), showcases his casual style marked by spontaneity and conversational tone. This approach, characterized as a departure from the precise imagism of Ezra Pound and the intellectualism of T.S. Eliot, involves crafting poems from eclectic observations noted in his journals. Although sometimes critiqued for lacking discipline and coherence, Whalen's work is appreciated for its auditory appeal and its reverence for the everyday, as noted by Tom Clark.
Later collections, such as The Kindness of Strangers: Poems 1969–1974 and Enough Said: Fluctuat Ne Mergitur: Poems 1974–1979, are critiqued for their insularity and lack of universal appeal. J. D. McClatchy highlights the whimsical yet sometimes incoherent nature of these works, while Choice points out the obscure references that limit their broader accessibility. Despite this, Whalen's offhand humor and unique juxtapositions continue to entertain.
Contents
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Whalen, Philip (Vol. 29)
- The Times Literary Supplement
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Poets at Novels
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Sward critiques Philip Whalen's novel You Didn't Even Try for its amiable yet self-involved tone, noting a disconnect between intention and emotional conveyance, while praising moments of imaginative accuracy despite an overall lack of narrative follow-through.
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Choice
(summary)
The critic contends that Philip Whalen's The Kindness of Strangers reads more like a personal collection intended for friends, with its obscure references and insider language, failing to connect with a broader audience and falling short of the accomplishments of his earlier work, On Bear's Head.
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Fathers and Sons
(summary)
In the following essay, Edward Butscher critiques Philip Whalen's poetry as self-indulgent and lacking the essential qualities of truth, beauty, and discipline, while acknowledging Whalen's potential for creating significant work when he learns to better connect language and ideas.
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'The Development of the New Language': Wieners, Jones, McClure, Whalen, Corso
(summary)
In the following essay, Geoffrey Thurley argues that Philip Whalen's poetry, marked by its ironic self-awareness and intellectual vigor, delivers profound insights through its vivid imagery and philosophical exploration of the mind's relationship with the external world, despite a tendency towards skepticism and a fragmentation that sometimes limits its cohesion.
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'Severence Pay' (Whalen)
(summary)
In the following essay, Cid Corman examines Philip Whalen's poetic style, highlighting Whalen's use of humor, personal immediacy, and emotional depth in poems that blend the mundane with profound reflections, ultimately portraying Whalen as a complex figure who finds both delight and pathos in everyday occurrences.
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The Jotter by the Ashtray
(summary)
In the following essay, Hugo Williams critiques Philip Whalen's Enough Said for its whimsical and pretentious qualities, suggesting that the poetry's disjointed silliness and lack of depth reflect a dated, counterproductive style emblematic of certain poetic experiments from the late 1960s.
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Enough Said: Poems 1974–1979
(summary)
In the following essay, J. D. McClatchy critiques Philip Whalen's poetry collection Enough Said: Poems 1974–1979, highlighting its whimsical and indulgent style, characterized by a lack of conceptual structure and a reliance on free association, while acknowledging the charm of its linguistic and cultural juxtapositions.
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Flashing Pipeline Rides
(summary)
In the following essay, Tom Clark evaluates Philip Whalen's work, highlighting Whalen's mastery of blending naturalism with Zen reflections in his poetry and noting his distinctive sense of humor as a key element distinguishing him from other poets of the West Coast tradition.
- Whalen, Philip (Vol. 6)