Ezra Pound and the symbolist inheritance

Abstract

In this revisionary study of Ezra Pound's poetics, Scott Hamilton exposes the extent of the modernist poet's debt to the French romantic and symbolist traditions. Whereas previous critics have focused on a single influence, Hamilton explores a broad spectrum of French poets, including Theophile Gautier, Tristan Corbiere, Jules Laforgue, Remy de Gourmont, Henri de Regnier, Jules Romains, Laurent Tailhade, Paul Verlaine and Stephane Mallarme. This exploration of Pound's canon demonstrates his logic in borrowing from the French tradition as well as a paradoxical circularity to his poetic development.