James Merrill's Apocalypse by Timothy Materer (review)

Abstract

950 Reviews the two poets. The essays range far more widely than the titular subject would sug? gest. Certainly, panic is referred to in some of the essays, notably in those by Peter Robinson, Helen M. Dennis, and Ward, but there are many other themes. The essays on Ashbery explore his connections with French poetry (Mark Ford), his delineation of genre (John Pilling), his use of repetition (Krystyna Mazur), the theme of centre (Edward Larissy), his varied relations to Romanticism (Benjamin Colbert), to Mod? ernism (Dennis Brown), and to Language poetry (Peter Nicholls). The essays devoted to Bishop, which are in the minority,examine her anticipation of postmodern narra? tive (Travisano), her role as tourist (Dennis), her use of envy (Feit Diehl), and the question of how far she is a religious writer (Cheryl Walker). There is no obvious attempt to use the theme of panic as a common denominator connecting Bishop and Ashbery, even though the introduction does gesture towards this. The fact that the essays may be divided into those focused on Ashbery and those on Bishop is also indicative of how misleading the book's title may be. Scarcely any of the essays devoted to one of the poets mentions the other except in ways that confirm how far the other occupies a secondary role. In fact, the experience of reading the collection straight through is something like the effectof reading two distinct books that have been conjoined . This is a slight disappointment, given the potentially rich connections that might have been explored in a comparative study. For instance, to what degree does the poets' homosexuality contribute to their reticence and anti-confessionalism? Does their common usage of highly formal patterns such as the sestina and villanelle have differentaims, origins, and effects?How may their attitudes to public event and pol? itical poetry be compared? Do the differences between the two ultimately outweigh any similarities? There are certainly many intriguing questions about both poets that could make for an engaging and illuminating comparative study, but they lie outside the scope of this collection. Whatever misgivings one might have arising from the lack of connection between the essays, and from the occasionally careless presentation, this collection is fully justified by the high quality of the individual contributions. Trinity College Dublin Stephen Matterson James Merrill's Apocalypse. By Timothy Materer. Ithaca, NY, and London: Cornell University Press. 2000. xii + 172 pp. ?22.95. This absorbing study explores several significant aspects of Merrill's poetry. In its seven brief chapters Materer locates Merrill in a literary tradition of apocalypse, he argues persuasively that The Changing Light at Sandover is firmlyintegrated in Merrill's overall career, and he offersilluminating readings of individual poems. It is particularly the firsttwo of these features that make the book important. In situating Merrill securely as an apocalyptic and visionary writer, especially in the immediate Modernist context, Materer has contributed much to Merrill studies, and he has made less tenable the view that Sandover is something of an aberration in Merrill's work. This book takes Merrill studies beyond the introductory. Not only does it make a significant case concerning his work, but italso does not tryvery hard to make converts to the poetry. Materer is candid about his own doubts and reservations over Merrill, and while he does address the concerns the work raises for some, he does not permit these issues to dominate the study or to halt its momentum. Two particular stumbling blocks, Merrill's elitism and his use of spiritualism, are addressed. Materer tackles the subject of elitism during his discussion of the imagined apocalypse in Sandover, which will result in the extinctionof the 'unworthy'. He notes that some critics find problematic Merrill's 'undemocratic lack of sympathy forthe human average' (p. 99), MLR, 97.4, 2002 951 before baldly stating, 'Sympathy is unsuited to an apocalyptic poem' (p. 100). He then states that even when Merrill's contempt is acknowledged, 'he would belong to a respected if dark tradition' that includes Twain, Yeats, Eliot, Pound, and Beckett. Neither statement really convinces as a defence of Merrill. The first ignores the element of choice in Merrill's determining who is unworthy (although...