T. S. Eliot released his debut poetry collection, Prufrock and Other Observations, in 1917. He emerged as the foremost poetic voice in America during the early 20th century.

In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald authored The Great Gatsby, which is often regarded as the quintessential American novel. This occurred only a few years after Moore published “Poetry.”

Moore's essay collection, Predilections, came out in 1955 and includes essays on prominent poets like Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and Ezra Pound. It also features Moore's unique perspectives on poetry and nature.

Moore references William Butler Yeats’s 1903 book, Ideas of Good and Evil, which comprises essays on poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Blake, along with discussions on magic and mysticism.