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Essay on Modern Poetry
Williams, William Carlos was an American writer, whose use of simple, direct language marked a new course in 20th-century poetry. Unlike some other writers of his time, such as T. S. Eliot, Williams avoided complexity and obscure symbolism. Instead, he produced lyrics, such as this one from “January Morning” (1938), that contain few difficult references: “All this—/ was for you, old woman. / I wanted to write a poem/ that you would understand.” Williams’s greatest achievement as a writer was the epic Paterson (5 volumes, 1946-1958), which is a landmark of 20th-century poetry. Williams's ideas were basically humanistic: respect yourself and others, love those you can, and try to make the world a better place. He tried to live up to these ideals through both his writing and his medical practice. One quality that Williams admired greatly was persistence; he loved old people who kept their vigorous response to life, just as he admired artists who kept improving and perfecting their work. He was a deeply inspired poet which was a reflection of his profession.
His Autobiography (New York, 1951) is partially dedicated to the medical side of his life and its vital relation to his poetry--which, like his fiction, draws greatly on his experience as a doctor. Williams’s straightforward approach to writing marked a new direction for poetry. In shaping his idea of what this new poetry should be, Williams emphasized four qualities. The first was the use of commonplace subjects and themes. The poet must write about things people can respond to, things people have seen and know. Otherwise, literature stands separate from its readers. The second principle for the new poetry was the poet’s duty to write about real events or objects in a language that all people could understand, with an ear for the way people actually speak....................
