The first
book of poems (1909) by Williams was conventional and correct in sentiment and
diction. In his second book “The Tempers” (1913) his style was imagist in
feeling though it was still romantic and allusive. In his third book “Al Que
Quiere!” (1917) Williams applied the imagist principle of the direct treatment
of the things rigorously.
Webster
Scott said that “Williams was an immensely complicated man…. He was the
complete human being and all the qualities of his personality were fused in his
writings.” Williams emphasized that poetry should focus on objects and not on
concepts. It should move away from abstract characterization of things. Poetry
should create visual images and should be tangible or observable.
According to him ideas exist in things since
images create an idea of the object and gives it a meaning. To Williams, poetry
was a means of gaining access to social realities. It is also an instrument for
imagining the future, a shared life free of alienation and exploitation. He
wrote,” The outstanding character of poetry is that it cannot exist other than
as the revolutionary attribute of a free people.” His early poems shared a
number of aesthetic concerns of his contemporary writers especially that of
Ezra Pound in conveying imagery through textured language. His early interest
in Nature marked the influence of Whitman and Keats. His later poetry was
brief, pointed and deceptively simple with complex meaning.
According to Randall Jarrell, Williams in his
writings demonstrates that “he feels, not just says.” His lifelong quest is
that poetry should mirror the speech of the American people. He sought “a
language modified by the American environment. He sought to express democracy
in the language and thought materials of America expressing his point of view.
William stressed that poetry must find its primary impetus in local conditions.
Richard Ellman and Robert O’clair called him “the most important literary
doctor since Chekov, with a deep sense of humanity.”
In 1914 his
first son, William G. Williams was born who later became a physician like his
father. His second son was Paul. H. Williams. Williams was very much interested
in painting and this influence is seen in his poetry where he used realistic
imagery with clarity and simplicity. As a doctor he practiced during daytime
and wrote at night.
Williams was
influenced by Imagist movement through his friend Ezra Pound and Hilda
Doolittle (H.D.). But soon he formed his own opinion different from theirs. In
1920 he published his experimental book “Kora in hell: improvisations”, one of
his favorite books. According to Webster Scott, it is an extraordinary
combination of aphorisms, romanticism, philosophy, exhortation combined with a
few elements of obscenity and reverie.
Pound called it “incoherent” and “Unamerican” and H.D. considered it as
“flippant.” Wallace Stevens also complained about the poet’s tantrums. But
Williams defended his stand and was determined to continue the advances he had
made in American poetry.
In 1923 he published “Spring and all”. In this
seven- stanza free verse poem without set rhyme and metrical pattern, he
describes the sad state of the society at the end of the World war I. But the
poet hopes that the world may enter a more promising future. William believed
that change or transformation is not an instant process and it takes time to
evolve. Williams wanted new poetry to be based on everyday speech formed by
imagination rather than on any metrical compulsions and rules. His poetry
differed from that of poets like T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden who were
conventionally technical in their approach.
In 1922 the publication of Eliot’s “The
wasteland” overshadowed Williams’ concept of poetic modernism. Williams wrote,
“It was a shock to me that he was so tremendously successful.” He criticized Eliot’s highly intellectual
style with its frequent use of foreign languages and allusions to classical and
European literature. According to him T.S. Eliot was conforming to rules of
classroom English whereas the modern poets are breaking the rules.
In “Spring and all” Williams viewed the same
American landscape as Eliot did, but interpreted it differently. Williams’
poetic task was to affirm the self-reliant, sympathetic consciousness of
Whitman in a broken industrialized world. Unlike Eliot who described the harsh
realities of the world, Williams saw his task as a break through restrictions
and generating new growth. The real function of imagination is not to avoid
reality but to affirm reality most powerfully. In his later works, his verse
grew shorter, more austere and more pointed. After 1923, Williams did not
release another book of poetry for ten years. He wrote prose dealing with
America.
In “The
American grain” he tried to examine the founders of the American history. He
gave a succinct definition of America and its people. In his “Voyage to Pagany”
based on his travel to Europe he assessed the world through the eyes of an
American. In short story collection “The knife of the times” dealing with and
the depression, he blamed the inadequacies of the American culture for both the
economic and emotional plight of American people. In his trilogy “White Mule,”
“In the Money,” and “The build-up” he dealt with the problems of an immigrant
family in American society. He won national Book Award for his third volume of
“Paterson” and “Selected poems.” In 1953 he got Bollingen prize for his
literary achievements. William’s last book “Pictures from Brueghel and other
poems” won Pulitzer Prize in 1963.
“The desert music” and “Journey to love” are
considered as mature works of Williams. According to Kenneth Rexroth the
“Desert music” is an explicit statement of the irreducible humanness of the
human being. In this book the poet presented simple, indisputable with calm
maturity.” In his poem “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower,” an elegiac epithalamion,
the poet confesses his infidelities to his wife and asks for forgiveness. He
seeks new life on the verge of his life. W.H. Auden praised this poem as “one
of the most beautiful poems in the language.” In the love poems of “Journey to
love” the poet presents vignettes of daily scenes in his characteristic rhythms
and language. In his poem “reflections on death” he writes that love and
imagination are the essence of life. He who loses them is as good as dead. In
his play “A dream of love” Williams dramatizes his belief in the conflict
between man’s need for emotional renewal in love and the woman’s need for
constancy in love.
He preferred colloquial American English and a
humane approach to portray the conditions of the contemporary society. In his
modernist epic collage of place “Paterson” in five books (between 1946 and
1958), he gave an account of the history, people, and essence of Paterson, New Jersey.
He examined the role of the poet in American society and summarized his poetic
method in the phrase “No ideas but in the things.” In his preface to “Paterson”
Williams wrote that “a man himself is a city beginning, seeking, achieving and
concluding his life in ways which the various aspects of a city may embody …
all the details of which may be needed to voice his intimate convictions.”
In
“Paterson” he explored the myth of American power. He revealed the mixed
results of success and industrialization which resulted in creation of widening
inequality and city slums. William chose Paterson, New Jersey as the prototype
of the American industrial community. He preferred a society of useful
manufacturers with competitive energy and moral stamina to lift the burdens of
the common citizen and raise the living standards of people with social and
cultural benefits. According to Breslin, “The Wasteland” is a kind of anti-epic
in which the quest for meaning is entirely thwarted and we are left at the end
waiting for the collapse of western civilization. “Paterson” is a pre-epic
showing that the process of disintegration releases forces that can build a new
world confronting the savagery of the present society and affirming a creative
future. Breslin thinks that Eliot’s end is Williams’ beginning. Williams completed
five books and he was planning to write sixth volume before his death.
“Paterson” was criticized for its mosaic and loose structure with alternating
passages of poetry and prose. Yet it is considered as an “Ars Poetica’ for
contemporary America. Breslin thinks that “Paterson” has a thickness of texture
and a multi-dimensional quality which makes it seem difficult sometimes, but
gives a rich and intense experience. Later poets like Allen Ginsberg, Charles
Olson, Robert Lowell and Denis Levertov recognized Williams’ greatness and
“Revolution of the word” and acknowledged “Paterson” as the modern “Leaves of
grass.”
His poetry influenced many literary movements
of the 1950’s—the beat movement, the San Francisco Renaissance, the Black
Mountain school and the New York School. He had close friendship with Allen
Ginsberg, another poet from new Jersey. Williams included several of Allen
Ginsberg’s letters in “Paterson.” One of the letters of Ginsberg inspired
Williams to write the fifth section of Paterson.” Williams also wrote the
introduction to Ginsberg’s book ‘Howl and other poems” in 1956. Williams
suddenly had a heart attack in 1948. His health deteriorated with many
complaints. He spent some time in Hillside Hospital, New York. He died in his
sleep on March 4, 1963. He was buried in Hillside cemetery, Lyndhurst, New
Jersey. William’s poetry as a modern poet will be remembered for his precious
contribution to the American poetry for its simple language, portrayal of
common people in America, and his focus on imagery.
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31st August 2023 Somaseshu Gutala
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