Wallace Stevens - Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Event Details
“the best and most representative American poet of our time.”
Harold Bloom on Wallace Stevens
For most of his working life, Wallace Stevens was the Vice President of the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, composing his poems on the way to and from the office and in the evenings. At the same time, he led something of a double life, with friends among the literary community in Greenwich village including Marianne Moore and E.E. Cummings.
His poetry in concerned with the transformative power of the imagination, with influences including the English Romantics and the French Symbolists. He is a master stylist, paying great attention to vocabulary and form. He also examines the notion of poetry itself, reflecting on its meaning and purpose as a reflection of objective reality. Published in 1923, Thirteen Way of Looking at a Blackbird explores these themes as well as delighting generations of readers with its beautiful language and images.
Over the course of two hours, we will work towards a deeper understanding of this exquisite poem through repeated readings, analysis and discussion.
JOINING DETAILS:
- Single meeting study on Zoom, facilitated by Caroline Hammond
- Wednesday 19 March, 6.00–8.00 pm (UK)
- £30 to include background materials and opening notes
- The poem can be found on the Poetry Foundation website here and in The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens, ISBN-13: 978-0679726692
