Introduction: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
“Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound first appeared in 1920 as a collection of poems, often described as a pivotal work that bridges modernism with traditional poetic sensibilities. This collection critiques the cultural and artistic degeneration of the early 20th century, reflecting Pound’s disillusionment with contemporary society and his struggle to reconcile classical ideals with modernist innovation. The poem’s structure is fragmented and multifaceted, emphasizing Pound’s mastery of literary allusion and his engagement with historical and cultural themes.
The work’s popularity as a textbook poem lies in its rich exploration of modernist themes, such as alienation, cultural decay, and the search for artistic authenticity. Its dense allusions and layered meanings provide fertile ground for literary analysis. For example, Pound laments the commodification of art: “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace… / A prose kinema, not…alabaster / Or the ‘sculpture’ of rhyme.” This critique underscores the transition from traditional forms to modern, mechanized expressions of creativity. Another striking element is the poem’s meditation on the futility of war, as seen in: “Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor / Walked eye-deep in hell… / Came home, home to a lie.” Here, Pound mourns the sacrifices of soldiers in World War I, portraying their disillusionment and the broader societal betrayal they experienced. Through its incisive commentary on art, culture, and human folly, “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” stands as a cornerstone of modernist literature, encapsulating both the grandeur and the tragedy of its era.
Text: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
(Life and Contacts)
“Vocat aestus in umbram”
Nemesianus Ec. IV.
E. P. ODE POUR L’ÉLECTION DE SON SÉPULCHRE
For three years, out of key with his time,
He strove to resuscitate the dead art
Of poetry; to maintain “the sublime”
In the old sense. Wrong from the start—
No, hardly, but, seeing he had been born
In a half savage country, out of date;
Bent resolutely on wringing lilies from the acorn;
Capaneus; trout for factitious bait:
“Idmen gar toi panth, os eni Troie
Caught in the unstopped ear;
Giving the rocks small lee-way
The chopped seas held him, therefore, that year.
His true Penelope was Flaubert,
He fished by obstinate isles;
Observed the elegance of Circe’s hair
Rather than the mottoes on sun-dials.
Unaffected by “the march of events,”
He passed from men’s memory in l’an trentiesme
De son eage; the case presents
No adjunct to the Muses’ diadem.
II
The age demanded an image
Of its accelerated grimace,
Something for the modern stage,
Not, at any rate, an Attic grace;
Not, not certainly, the obscure reveries
Of the inward gaze;
Better mendacities
Than the classics in paraphrase!
The “age demanded” chiefly a mould in plaster,
Made with no loss of time,
A prose kinema, not, not assuredly, alabaster
Or the “sculpture” of rhyme.
III
The tea-rose, tea-gown, etc.
Supplants the mousseline of Cos,
The pianola “replaces”
Sappho’s barbitos.
Christ follows Dionysus,
Phallic and ambrosial
Made way for macerations;
Caliban casts out Ariel.
All things are a flowing,
Sage Heracleitus says;
But a tawdry cheapness
Shall reign throughout our days.
Even the Christian beauty
Defects—after Samothrace;
We see to kalon
Decreed in the market place.
Faun’s flesh is not to us,
Nor the saint’s vision.
We have the press for wafer;
Franchise for circumcision.
All men, in law, are equals.
Free of Peisistratus,
We choose a knave or an eunuch
To rule over us.
A bright Apollo,
tin andra, tin eroa, tina theon,
What god, man, or hero
Shall I place a tin wreath upon?
IV
These fought, in any case,
and some believing, pro domo, in any case …
Some quick to arm,
some for adventure,
some from fear of weakness,
some from fear of censure,
some for love of slaughter, in imagination,
learning later …
some in fear, learning love of slaughter;
Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor” …
walked eye-deep in hell
believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving
came home, home to a lie,
home to many deceits,
home to old lies and new infamy;
usury age-old and age-thick
and liars in public places.
Daring as never before, wastage as never before.
Young blood and high blood,
Fair cheeks, and fine bodies;
fortitude as never before
frankness as never before,
disillusions as never told in the old days,
hysterias, trench confessions,
laughter out of dead bellies.
V
There died a myriad,
And of the best, among them,
For an old bitch gone in the teeth,
For a botched civilization.
Charm, smiling at the good mouth,
Quick eyes gone under earth’s lid,
For two gross of broken statues,
For a few thousand battered books.
YEUX GLAUQUES
Gladstone was still respected,
When John Ruskin produced
“Kings Treasuries”; Swinburne
And Rossetti still abused.
Foetid Buchanan lifted up his voice
When that faun’s head of hers
Became a pastime for
Painters and adulterers.
The Burne-Jones cartons
Have preserved her eyes;
Still, at the Tate, they teach
Cophetua to rhapsodize;
Thin like brook-water,
With a vacant gaze.
The English Rubaiyat was still-born
In those days.
The thin, clear gaze, the same
Still darts out faun-like from the half-ruin’d face,
Questing and passive ….
“Ah, poor Jenny’s case” …
Bewildered that a world
Shows no surprise
At her last maquero’s
Adulteries.
“SIENA MI FE’, DISFECEMI MAREMMA'”
Among the pickled foetuses and bottled bones,
Engaged in perfecting the catalogue,
I found the last scion of the
Senatorial families of Strasbourg, Monsieur Verog.
For two hours he talked of Gallifet;
Of Dowson; of the Rhymers’ Club;
Told me how Johnson (Lionel) died
By falling from a high stool in a pub …
But showed no trace of alcohol
At the autopsy, privately performed—
Tissue preserved—the pure mind
Arose toward Newman as the whiskey warmed.
Dowson found harlots cheaper than hotels;
Headlam for uplift; Image impartially imbued
With raptures for Bacchus, Terpsichore and the Church.
So spoke the author of “The Dorian Mood,”
M. Verog, out of step with the decade,
Detached from his contemporaries,
Neglected by the young,
Because of these reveries.
BRENNEBAUM
The sky-like limpid eyes,
The circular infant’s face,
The stiffness from spats to collar
Never relaxing into grace;
The heavy memories of Horeb, Sinai and the forty years,
Showed only when the daylight fell
Level across the face
Of Brennbaum “The Impeccable.”
MR. NIXON
In the cream gilded cabin of his steam yacht
Mr. Nixon advised me kindly, to advance with fewer
Dangers of delay. “Consider
“Carefully the reviewer.
“I was as poor as you are;
“When I began I got, of course,
“Advance on royalties, fifty at first,” said Mr. Nixon,
“Follow me, and take a column,
“Even if you have to work free.
“Butter reviewers. From fifty to three hundred
“I rose in eighteen months;
“The hardest nut I had to crack
“Was Dr. Dundas.
“I never mentioned a man but with the view
“Of selling my own works.
“The tip’s a good one, as for literature
“It gives no man a sinecure.”
And no one knows, at sight a masterpiece.
And give up verse, my boy,
There’s nothing in it.”
* * * *
Likewise a friend of Bloughram’s once advised me:
Don’t kick against the pricks,
Accept opinion. The “Nineties” tried your game
And died, there’s nothing in it.
X
Beneath the sagging roof
The stylist has taken shelter,
Unpaid, uncelebrated,
At last from the world’s welter
Nature receives him,
With a placid and uneducated mistress
He exercises his talents
And the soil meets his distress.
The haven from sophistications and contentions
Leaks through its thatch;
He offers succulent cooking;
The door has a creaking latch.
XI
“Conservatrix of Milésien”
Habits of mind and feeling,
Possibly. But in Ealing
With the most bank-clerkly of Englishmen?
No, “Milésian” is an exaggeration.
No instinct has survived in her
Older than those her grandmother
Told her would fit her station.
XII
“Daphne with her thighs in bark
Stretches toward me her leafy hands,”—
Subjectively. In the stuffed-satin drawing-room
I await The Lady Valentine’s commands,
Knowing my coat has never been
Of precisely the fashion
To stimulate, in her,
A durable passion;
Doubtful, somewhat, of the value
Of well-gowned approbation
Of literary effort,
But never of The Lady Valentine’s vocation:
Poetry, her border of ideas,
The edge, uncertain, but a means of blending
With other strata
Where the lower and higher have ending;
A hook to catch the Lady Jane’s attention,
A modulation toward the theatre,
Also, in the case of revolution,
A possible friend and comforter.
* * * *
Conduct, on the other hand, the soul
“Which the highest cultures have nourished”
To Fleet St. where
Dr. Johnson flourished;
Beside this thoroughfare
The sale of half-hose has
Long since superseded the cultivation
Of Pierian roses.
Envoi (1919)
Go, dumb-born book,
Tell her that sang me once that song of Lawes:
Hadst thou but song
As thou hast subjects known,
Then were there cause in thee that should condone
Even my faults that heavy upon me lie
And build her glories their longevity.
Tell her that sheds
Such treasure in the air,
Recking naught else but that her graces give
Life to the moment,
I would bid them live
As roses might, in magic amber laid,
Red overwrought with orange and all made
One substance and one colour
Braving time.
Tell her that goes
With song upon her lips
But sings not out the song, nor knows
The maker of it, some other mouth,
May be as fair as hers,
Might, in new ages, gain her worshippers,
When our two dusts with Waller’s shall be laid,
Siftings on siftings in oblivion,
Till change hath broken down
All things save Beauty alone.
Annotations: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
| Section | Key Themes/Ideas | Annotations/Explanation |
| Epigraph | “Vocat aestus in umbram” (The heat calls into the shade) | Sets the tone of retreat from modernity, reflecting a desire to escape cultural and societal pressures. |
| I. Life and Contacts | Struggle with cultural detachment; attempt to revive classicism | Mauberley’s attempt to restore the “dead art of poetry” contrasts with the modern age’s rejection of “the sublime.” Pound critiques his protagonist’s doomed efforts, symbolizing his own struggles as a modernist poet in a materialistic and “half-savage” era. |
| II. The Age Demanded | Critique of modern aesthetics; rise of superficial, pragmatic art forms | Modern art and literature favor “prose kinema” and cheap imitations over classical grace and depth. This rejection of substance reflects the age’s accelerated pace and disregard for tradition. |
| III. Modern Decay | Cultural degeneration; transition from classical to modern | “Christ follows Dionysus,” highlighting the shift from classical to Christian values. However, both are reduced to “tawdry cheapness” in a commodified culture. The imagery of “marketplace decrees” critiques the loss of spiritual and aesthetic depth. |
| IV. War and Disillusion | Horror of World War I; betrayal of ideals | Criticizes the glorification of war (“pro patria”) as a lie. Soldiers return disillusioned, having fought for a “botched civilization.” Vivid imagery like “walked eye-deep in hell” and “laughter out of dead bellies” conveys the brutality and futility of war. |
| V. Waste of War | Sacrifice of youth; destruction of culture | Reflects on the loss of the “best” for a failed civilization. The phrase “for two gross of broken statues” signifies the irreparable cultural damage and the futility of war’s sacrifices. |
| Yeux Glauques | Decadence of the Victorian era; critique of aestheticism | Critiques Victorian poets and painters for exploiting beauty while neglecting authenticity. Figures like Rossetti and Swinburne symbolize artistic decay, and the references to “faun’s head” and “Jenny” point to moral and artistic degeneration. |
| Siena mi fè… | Nostalgia; disconnection from contemporaries | Describes the alienation of “Monsieur Verog,” who represents the artist out of sync with his era. His obsession with the past (e.g., “Dowson” and “Gallifet”) shows detachment from the modern world, symbolizing the poet’s own cultural isolation. |
| Brennbaum | Modern sterility; absence of cultural depth | Brennbaum, the stereotypical bourgeois intellectual, embodies a lack of originality or grace. The imagery of “stiffness” and “Horeb, Sinai” conveys the rigidity and lifelessness of contemporary intellectual life. |
| Mr. Nixon | Commercialization of art | Mr. Nixon symbolizes the commodification of literature, advising young writers to “butter reviewers” for success. His pragmatic, profit-driven advice critiques the era’s disregard for artistic integrity in favor of financial gain. |
| X. Shelter | Retreat from modern chaos | Describes a stylist’s withdrawal from the “world’s welter,” seeking solace in simplicity. However, the “leaks” in his haven signify that escape from societal decay is incomplete. |
| XI. Conservatrix… | Loss of cultural instincts | Critiques the reduction of cultural heritage to banal traditions. The “Milésian” instinct is exaggerated, replaced by shallow norms. Suggests the erosion of authenticity in personal and societal identity. |
| XII. Daphne | Unrealized artistic ideals; critique of societal values | Reflects on the poet’s alienation from societal expectations, symbolized by his relationship with “Lady Valentine.” Her superficial approval of his art contrasts with his quest for deeper meaning. |
| Envoi (Conclusion) | Longevity of art; ultimate transcendence of beauty | The poet sends his work into the world, hoping it will endure beyond his time. The invocation of beauty as eternal (“All things save Beauty alone”) reflects a longing for permanence amidst cultural decay. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
| Device | Example | Explanation |
| Alliteration | “Bent resolutely on wringing lilies from the acorn” | The repetition of the “r” sound emphasizes the tension between the impossible task and Mauberley’s futile effort to achieve beauty and refinement in a harsh world. |
| Allusion | “His true Penelope was Flaubert” | Refers to the Greek myth of Penelope, paralleling it with Mauberley’s loyalty to art and literature. Also references Gustave Flaubert, symbolizing artistic precision and dedication. |
| Anaphora | “Some quick to arm, / some for adventure, / some from fear…” | The repetition of “some” at the beginning of successive clauses emphasizes the diverse but ultimately futile motivations of soldiers in war. |
| Antithesis | “Caliban casts out Ariel” | Contrasts the brutishness of Caliban with the ethereal grace of Ariel, symbolizing the decline from spiritual artistry to vulgar materialism. |
| Antithesis | “Go, dumb-born book” | The poet directly addresses the book as though it were a person, imbuing it with life and intention to carry his message. |
| Assonance | “Young blood and high blood” | The repetition of the “u” sound creates a musical quality, highlighting the vibrancy of youth tragically lost in war. |
| Cacophony | “The chopped seas held him, therefore, that year.” | The harsh consonant sounds mimic the chaos and turbulence of the sea, reflecting Mauberley’s struggle against cultural forces. |
| Classical References | “Idmen gar toi panth, os eni Troie” | Greek phrase meaning “we know all that happened in Troy,” referencing the Homeric epics to highlight timeless human folly and the tragic repetition of history. |
| Contrast | “Tea-rose, tea-gown, etc. / Supplants the mousseline of Cos” | Contrasts refined classical culture with the triviality of modern taste, highlighting cultural decline. |
| Cynicism | “For an old bitch gone in the teeth, / For a botched civilization.” | The poet’s stark and biting tone critiques the futility of war and the corruption of civilization. |
| Ekphrasis | “The Burne-Jones cartons / Have preserved her eyes” | Description of Burne-Jones’ artwork, using visual art as a metaphor for the preservation of beauty amid cultural decay. |
| Enjambment | “Some quick to arm, / some for adventure, / some from fear of weakness…” | The continuation of lines without punctuation mirrors the relentless progression of war and its unavoidable consequences. |
| Hyperbole | “Wringing lilies from the acorn” | Exaggerates Mauberley’s impossible task to create beauty from unyielding material, symbolizing the struggles of the artist. |
| Imagery | “Walked eye-deep in hell / Believing in old men’s lies” | Vivid imagery portrays the horrors of war and the disillusionment of soldiers, capturing their emotional and physical suffering. |
| Irony | “Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor” | The inversion of Horace’s “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” highlights the bitter irony of war’s false glorification. |
| Juxtaposition | “The press for wafer; / Franchise for circumcision.” | Contrasts sacred Christian rituals with the commodification of culture and the erosion of spiritual significance in modernity. |
| Metaphor | “A prose kinema, not, not assuredly, alabaster / Or the ‘sculpture’ of rhyme.” | Compares modern art to “prose kinema,” highlighting its transient and shallow nature, unlike the enduring and refined “sculpture” of classical rhyme. |
| Personification | “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace” | Personifies the age as actively demanding and grimacing, emphasizing its voracious appetite for modernity and disregard for tradition. |
| Symbolism | “For two gross of broken statues, / For a few thousand battered books” | Broken statues and battered books symbolize the destruction of cultural and artistic heritage caused by war and modernity. |
| Tone | “Gladstone was still respected, / When John Ruskin produced ‘Kings Treasuries'” | The tone is reflective and critical, contrasting a time of intellectual respect with the present era’s degradation of values. |
Themes: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
1. “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”: Cultural Decline and the Loss of Artistic Integrity
One of the central themes in Hugh Selwyn Mauberley is the critique of cultural decay and the commodification of art in the modern age. Pound laments the decline of classical ideals and the erosion of beauty in favor of shallow, transient trends. In the lines, “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace,” he portrays a society that prioritizes immediacy and sensationalism over enduring art. This cultural degeneration is further emphasized in “A prose kinema, not, not assuredly, alabaster / Or the ‘sculpture’ of rhyme,” where modern creations are likened to fleeting cinematic images rather than the permanence of sculptural artistry. Pound’s invocation of figures like Dionysus and Ariel, replaced by Christ and Caliban, underscores a shift from imaginative creativity to a constrained, utilitarian worldview.
2. “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”: Disillusionment with Modernity
Pound’s disillusionment with modern society and its rejection of tradition is vividly expressed throughout the poem. He critiques the hollow nature of contemporary values, particularly in the aftermath of World War I. In “All things are a flowing, / Sage Heracleitus says; / But a tawdry cheapness / Shall reign throughout our days,” he evokes the transient nature of time but mourns the prevalence of mediocrity in modern culture. The war exacerbates this sense of despair, as seen in “Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor,” where Pound subverts the classical ideal of noble sacrifice. The disillusionment extends to the artistic realm, with Mauberley’s efforts to revive traditional poetry rendered futile in a society uninterested in the sublime.
3. “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”: The Futility and Betrayal of War
The devastating impact of World War I is another prominent theme, woven with bitterness and cynicism. Pound critiques the glorification of war, exposing its brutal reality and the lies perpetuated to justify it. The stanza “Walked eye-deep in hell / Believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving / Came home, home to a lie” captures the profound disillusionment of soldiers returning to a society that had betrayed them. The line “For an old bitch gone in the teeth, / For a botched civilization” vividly condemns the senseless destruction and the moral bankruptcy of the era that demanded such sacrifices. The waste of “young blood and high blood” for a decaying civilization highlights the futility of the conflict and its catastrophic human cost.
4. “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”: Alienation of the Artist
The theme of the artist’s alienation is embodied in Mauberley, who represents Pound’s persona struggling to reconcile his classical ideals with the realities of the modern world. The opening lines, “For three years, out of key with his time, / He strove to resuscitate the dead art,” highlight Mauberley’s isolation and his futile efforts to revive traditional poetic forms. His detachment from society is further emphasized in “Unaffected by ‘the march of events,’ / He passed from men’s memory,” illustrating how his commitment to art renders him irrelevant in a pragmatic, materialistic world. Through Mauberley, Pound explores the plight of the artist who rejects modernity but finds no place in a society that no longer values timeless beauty or intellectual depth.
5. “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage
The destruction of cultural and artistic heritage, particularly due to war and modernity, is another key theme in the poem. Pound mourns this loss through symbolic imagery, as in “For two gross of broken statues, / For a few thousand battered books.” These lines encapsulate the irreparable damage to the artistic and intellectual legacy of civilization. The invocation of historical and literary figures like Flaubert, Homer, and Burne-Jones emphasizes the contrast between the rich cultural past and the barren present. The commercialization of art, exemplified by Mr. Nixon’s pragmatic advice to “butter reviewers,” further illustrates the decline of artistic integrity and the replacement of timeless values with ephemeral trends.
Literary Theories and “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
| Literary Theory | Application to “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” | References and Examples from the Poem |
| Modernism | “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” epitomizes Modernist literature, with its fragmented structure, rejection of traditional forms, and critique of modernity. | The line “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace” reflects Modernist disillusionment with industrial progress. The fragmented narrative mirrors the chaos of the era. |
| Post-Structuralism | The poem’s dense intertextuality, multiple allusions, and layered meanings align with post-structuralist ideas about the instability of meaning in texts. | The references to figures like Flaubert, Homer, and Heracleitus (e.g., “Idmen gar toi panth, os eni Troie”) demonstrate how the poem draws meaning from external texts, creating a web of interpretations. |
| Cultural Materialism | Pound critiques the commodification of culture and the erosion of artistic integrity in a capitalist society, a core concern of cultural materialism. | Lines such as “A prose kinema, not, not assuredly, alabaster / Or the ‘sculpture’ of rhyme” highlight the shift from timeless artistic values to transient, market-driven creations. |
| New Historicism | The poem reflects its historical context, particularly the aftermath of World War I and the broader cultural shifts of the early 20th century. | The stanza “Walked eye-deep in hell / Believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving” critiques the lies that fueled the war, while “For a botched civilization” mourns the destruction caused by modernity’s failures. |
Critical Questions about “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
1. How does Ezra Pound critique the cultural values of his era in “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”?
Ezra Pound’s “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” is a scathing critique of the cultural decay and commodification of art in the early 20th century. Pound juxtaposes the enduring ideals of classical art with the superficiality of modern culture. For instance, in “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace,” he captures the modern era’s obsession with immediate gratification and sensationalism. This shift away from “alabaster” and “the sculpture of rhyme” signifies the abandonment of timeless beauty for transient, pragmatic forms. Pound critiques the transformation of art into a commodity, where artists like Mauberley, who strive for authenticity, are alienated. How does this tension between timeless artistic values and fleeting trends reflect the broader societal and economic changes of the time?
2. What role does alienation play in the characterization of Hugh Selwyn Mauberley?
The theme of alienation is central to the poem, as Mauberley represents the isolated artist, disconnected from the cultural currents of his time. The opening lines, “For three years, out of key with his time, / He strove to resuscitate the dead art,” highlight his struggle to maintain artistic integrity in a world indifferent to his ideals. His detachment from societal concerns, emphasized in “Unaffected by ‘the march of events,’ / He passed from men’s memory,” suggests that his commitment to classical art renders him obsolete. Mauberley’s alienation raises critical questions about the artist’s place in a society that prioritizes materialism over intellectual or artistic pursuits. Does the poem suggest that alienation is an inevitable consequence of adhering to personal ideals in a rapidly modernizing world?
3. How does “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” reflect Pound’s disillusionment with war and its impact on civilization?
Pound’s condemnation of World War I and its devastating consequences permeates the poem, particularly in the fourth and fifth sections. He critiques the glorification of war through lines like “Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor,” subverting Horace’s classical ideal of noble sacrifice. The vivid imagery of “Walked eye-deep in hell / Believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving” exposes the horrors faced by soldiers and their disillusionment upon returning to a society built on deceit. Pound’s bitter tone culminates in “For an old bitch gone in the teeth, / For a botched civilization,” denouncing the futility of the sacrifices made for a failing civilization. Does the poem suggest that war irrevocably damages both individual lives and cultural values, leaving no room for redemption?
4. How does Pound use allusion and intertextuality to construct meaning in “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”?
Pound’s heavy reliance on allusion and intertextuality in “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” creates a dense tapestry of meaning that invites deeper analysis. References to classical figures like Penelope and Heracleitus (“Idmen gar toi panth, os eni Troie”) emphasize the contrast between the enduring ideals of the past and the mediocrity of the present. Similarly, invoking Flaubert as “His true Penelope” symbolizes Mauberley’s loyalty to art as an unattainable ideal. These allusions enrich the poem’s narrative by connecting Mauberley’s struggles to broader cultural and historical contexts. How do these intertextual elements challenge readers to engage with the poem’s critique of modernity, and do they risk alienating those unfamiliar with the references?
Literary Works Similar to “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
- T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land”: Both poems critique modernity and cultural decay, employing fragmented structures and dense allusions to classical literature to reflect societal disillusionment.
- W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939“: Similar to “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”, this poem explores the moral and cultural failures of contemporary civilization, reflecting on the human cost of political and societal turmoil.
- Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach“: Like Pound’s poem, Arnold reflects on the erosion of spiritual and cultural values in the face of modernity, using imagery to evoke a sense of loss and disillusionment.
- William Butler Yeats’ “The Second Coming“: Both poems convey a deep sense of cultural crisis and alienation, utilizing apocalyptic imagery to critique the collapse of traditional values in a chaotic modern world.
- Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl“: While stylistically different, Ginsberg’s critique of postwar American materialism and alienation parallels Pound’s condemnation of the commodification of art and the loss of cultural depth.
Representative Quotations of “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “For three years, out of key with his time, / He strove to resuscitate the dead art.” | Describes Mauberley’s (and Pound’s) struggle to revive classical poetry in a world indifferent to tradition. | Modernism: Reflects the tension between tradition and the alienation faced by artists in the modern era. |
| “The age demanded an image / Of its accelerated grimace.” | Critiques the modern age’s focus on fleeting, superficial art and culture. | Cultural Materialism: Highlights how modernity prioritizes consumption over enduring cultural values. |
| “A prose kinema, not, not assuredly, alabaster / Or the ‘sculpture’ of rhyme.” | Contrasts transient modern art forms with the permanence of classical art. | Formalism: Emphasizes the decline in structural and aesthetic rigor in modern artistic expression. |
| “Walked eye-deep in hell / Believing in old men’s lies.” | Describes soldiers’ suffering in World War I and their disillusionment upon return. | New Historicism: Places the war experience within the broader critique of societal betrayal and disillusionment. |
| “Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor.” | Subverts Horace’s ideal of noble sacrifice, critiquing war propaganda. | Postmodernism: Challenges traditional narratives of war and heroism, exposing the dissonance between ideals and reality. |
| “All things are a flowing, / Sage Heracleitus says; / But a tawdry cheapness / Shall reign throughout our days.” | Highlights the erosion of spiritual and artistic value in modern times. | Philosophical Aestheticism: Critiques the commodification of art and loss of philosophical depth in modernity. |
| “For an old bitch gone in the teeth, / For a botched civilization.” | Condemns the futility of sacrifices made for a failing, corrupt civilization. | Cultural Criticism: Reflects disillusionment with the moral and political failures of Western society. |
| “His true Penelope was Flaubert.” | Compares Mauberley’s loyalty to art to Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus, highlighting dedication to artistic ideals. | Intertextuality: Uses literary allusion to draw parallels between classical myths and artistic struggles. |
| “For two gross of broken statues, / For a few thousand battered books.” | Mourns the destruction of cultural heritage caused by modernity and war. | Archaeological Criticism: Views art and literature as remnants of cultural value destroyed by historical forces. |
| “The march of events… / No adjunct to the Muses’ diadem.” | Suggests that modern historical progress offers no value to art or beauty. | Romanticism vs. Modernity: Contrasts timeless beauty with the utilitarian, progress-oriented ethos of modernity. |
Suggested Readings: “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley” by Ezra Pound
- Bush, Ronald. “‘It Draws One to Consider Time Wasted’: Hugh Selwyn Mauberley.” American Literary History, vol. 2, no. 1, 1990, pp. 56–78. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/489810. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.
- Scanlon, Larry. “Modernism’s Medieval Imperative: The Hard Lessons of Ezra Pound’s ‘Hugh Selwyn Mauberley.'” American Literary History, vol. 22, no. 4, 2010, pp. 838–62. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40890827. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.
- Firchow, P. E. “Ezra Pound’s Imagism and the Tradition.” Comparative Literature Studies, vol. 18, no. 3, 1981, pp. 379–85. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40246277. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.