The interplay between tradition and modernity is a recurring theme in X. J. Kennedy's poetic work. Across his collections, Kennedy navigates the shifting landscape of cultural and personal beliefs, transitioning from staunch traditionalism to a more nuanced acceptance of change. His poems reflect an ongoing dialogue with the past, questioning its relevance in a rapidly evolving world, yet finding new ways to engage with contemporary issues.

The Debate on Poetic Forms

An engaging exchange in the Saturday Review between John Ciardi and X. J. Kennedy highlights the philosophical divide in poetry. Ciardi critiqued free verse, suggesting it forsakes the creation of lasting artifacts, which traditional forms supposedly promise. Kennedy countered, pointing out poets like Gary Snyder, who believe in human continuity through non-traditional forms, and argued that creating well-crafted poetry itself is intrinsically valuable, regardless of its form or the prospect of posterity.

This exchange reflects Kennedy's evolving worldview in his poetry, where he grapples with the tension between tradition and modernity. His early works demonstrate a militant traditionalism, but over time, he shifts towards a more tolerant uncertainty, questioning both traditional values and new trends.

Nude Descending a Staircase

Kennedy's first major poetry collection, Nude Descending a Staircase, grapples with the disjointed experience of modern life. Poems like "B Negative" capture the dehumanizing effects of urban existence, where spring is marked by litter rather than blossoms, and human roots are cemented over by the city's artificiality. The imagery evokes a sense of violence and despair, as individuals in the city become either suicidal or sadistic, disconnected from nature and each other.

Despite this bleak depiction, Kennedy's early works also express confidence in the possibility of maintaining sanity and continuity in a changing world. "All-Knowing Rabbit" suggests procreation and religion as means to sustain life and sanity, though Kennedy's initial faith in traditional religious values seems more assumed than deeply examined.

Growing into Love

In Kennedy's later collection, Growing into Love, his faith in Roman Catholicism begins to wane, reflected in poems like "West Somerville, Mass." The volume captures Kennedy's longing for the solidity of the past amid the impermanence of the present. "Cross Ties" illustrates this conflict, as the speaker walks along an abandoned track, embodying Kennedy's own struggle between nostalgia for past certainties and the challenges of modern skepticism.

These poems reveal Kennedy's desire to believe in the past's moral and religious values, despite recognizing their current impracticality. The longing for a time when faith was intertwined with the physical and spiritual landscape is evident, though Kennedy acknowledges the improbability of fully recapturing such a belief.

American Landscape

Kennedy's exploration of the American landscape in Growing into Love further emphasizes the disjunction between past and present. In "Main Road West" and "Driving Cross-Country," he depicts a denatured environment and the erosion of imaginative resources. Modern life is marked by mass-produced mediocrity, and the natural world is often overshadowed by mechanical artifice.

Yet Kennedy's rejection of this new world is not politically charged but rather an expression of a personal, aesthetic discontent. He critiques the destruction of nature and the loss of traditional imaginative resources, but also reflects on humanity's increasing power over nature and the paradoxical allure of technological advances.

Emily Dickinson in Southern California

With Emily Dickinson in Southern California , Kennedy continues to examine the interplay between the past and present, though with a more lighthearted approach. The incongruity of transplanting a nineteenth-century poet into modern California serves as a metaphor for Kennedy's own cultural displacement. While the series doesn't fully explore Dickinson's modern perspective, it highlights the humorous potential in cultural and temporal...