Word: poetics
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...preface to his "Collected Poems," Mr. Coffin attempts to state his position in the field of poetic endeavor, by way of answering the assertion that he is a provincialist whose colloquialisms are mere gibberish to outsiders. He admits that his primary subject material consists of Maine people, and that the inspiration for his work lies within the area of a particular region. But this does not mean that his poetry is significant with regard to only State-of-Mainers. From the everyday existences, the "Monday and Tuesday" lives, of these people, Coffin declares that he can create a mosaic...
...group of people proceed from the same fundamental roots as the joys and sorrows of man as a universal form. Coffin's idea is that the distinctive characteristics of a single human being, such as a Maine fisherman, are the qualities which lend a positive tone to poetic translations of human nature. One cannot write convincingly of a universal type of human being, for even if it existed, it would lack the compelling reality which inspires poetry. The force and enthusiasm behind a poem is one factor which determines its ability to convey an impression, and it is rare that...
...Every poet, I think, ought to be something of a local poet," Coffin says, and thus he expresses the conviction that knowledge of one's subject, contact with it through personal experience, is the main guarantee of poetic inspiration. And as a local poet, he can assume, in his own words, that he is a "representative of the people." There is more than merely a simple exposition of peculiar traits indigenous to Maine in his poems. He who would classify Coffin as a provincialist, limited in scope to the portrayal of a single group of individuals, might as well judge...
...theme of Robert Lee Frost's life is a conflict between staying and going. Staying, for him, has meant standing by a poetic conscience such as has been given to few American poets-in complete disregard of any lesser audience. Going has meant playing the artist more than the man-and winning a public success which he never intended and partly distrusts. Frost did most of his staying in his first three books (A Boy's Will, North of Boston, Mountain Interval)-and his later books contain many poems that testify to his ability to stay...
...holder of the Professorship is chosen each year without specifications as to nationality from men of high distinction and, preferably, of international reputation, in any field of "poetry," including all poetic expression in language, music, or the fine arts...