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Write a detailed note on Modern Poetry Or Characteristics of

Modern poetry:
Write a detailed note on Modern Poetry
With the death of Tennyson, critics of the 20th century
seemed that the glorious days of English poetry were completed.
There was a widespread impression that English poetry had died
with him. But this apprehension was rather misplaced because
the modern age has so many great poems and poets that can be
the part of the imperishable literary heritage of England. Modern
poetry has to give a rich harvest of poetic thought in style and
diction. A.C. Ward rightly remarks
“The Poetry of the period
shows a distinct decline
not in general way of
execution but in genius
and breadth of range.”

Characteristics of Modern poetry:-

Astounding variety of themes


Astounding variety of themes is the chief characteristics of
the modern poetry. The modern poets have not accepted the
theory of great subjects for poetic composition. They find
inspiration from railway trains, tramcars, telephone, the snake
charmer and thing of common place interest. The whole universe
is the modern’s poet’s experience. We have a wide variety of the
poem such as, (1) ‘The Songs of Train’ by John Davidson,
(2) ‘Good Machine Guns’ by Keneth Aldington
(3) ‘Seekers’ by Masefield (4) ‘Listeners’ by Walter De La
Mare
Pessimism and disillusionment
Modern poetry is marked with a note of pessimism and
disillusionment. The frustration and pessimism created by wars
have been presented in poetry by Eliot, Yeats, Hardy, Houseman
etc. They chiefly reflected the disillusionment of war in their
poetry. Sometime the modern poets are dissatisfied with God and
the naked dance of chance and materialism in the modern world
and their poetry is an arrangement of modern society in a
pessimistic strain. The following lines from ‘The waste land’ gives
picture of pessimism.
“The heap of broken image, where the sun beats
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief”

Subject of religion.
The modern age is the age of science yet we find poems written
on the subject of religion. There are many poets who have kept
alive the flame of religion and mysticism in their poetry. Religious
faith was magnificently expressed in the works of like Robert
Grave’s ‘In The Widerness’, Mrs. Meynell’s ‘I am the
Way’, Chasterton’s ‘The House of Christmas’ The echoes of
religion can be heard in Noyes’s following line:- “The Lord of life is
risen again and love is Lord of all.”
Psychological researches
Psychological researches by Freud, Jung, and Karl Max
turned the poets to an investigation of the hidden impulse of man.
Some modern poets are interested in delving deep into the recess
of the subconscious mind. Some the poems
of Eliot and Ezra pound are difficult to follow because of their
psychological complexity.
Realism
The poetry of the 20th century is marked with a note
of realism. Realism in modern poetry was the product of a
reaction against the pseudo-romanticism of the last
century. Poets like Robert Frost, Edmund Blunder, W. H. Gibson
and John Masefield strikes the note of realism. The best
expression of realism in modern poetry is to be found among the
war poets, Owen Graves and Sassoon. They have described
vividly and realistically the horror of war.
The spirit of romance
In spite of the preponderance of realism in modern
poetry, the spirit of romance continues to sway away the minds of
modern poets like Walter De La Mare, Yeats, and Edward
Thomas. The works of these poets have the fact the spirit of
romance is as old as life itself. Walter De La Mare’s poetry is
saturated with the true and romantic spirit bordering on
supernaturalism. The dim moonlight of romance and chivalry
hovers over the early poem of Gibson. e.g. The voice of
romanticism can be heard in these lines of Gibson.
“I Sang of lovers and praised my song
The while the king looked on her with cold eyes”

Love
Love forms the subject of many modern lyrics. e.g. Robert
Bridge has produced fine sonnets of love in ‘The Growth of
Love’, W.B. Yeats’s ‘When you are Old’ is fine poem of
love. Arthur Symon’s ‘The Broken Tryset’ deals with
disappointment in love.

Longingness
Longingness is at the root of the all poetry whether ancient
or modern. Modern poets express longing of all kinds in their
poetry. John Masefield’s ‘Seekers’ is the best example of
Longingness of man for God and the external city of life.
The Chief Modern Poets:-

William Butler Yeats


William Butler Yeats was the most famous Irish metaphysical
poet. He was regarded as the initiator of the 20th century poetry.
He was a leading figure of modern era who became a bridge
between Victorian age and modern age. He was a Noble Prize
Winner in 1923 composed some of the most respected poetry of
20th century. “The Wind Swans at Coole”, “Michael Robartes and
the Dance” “Wind among the Reeds”, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”,
“Responsibilities” are remarkable poetic works. Sir Ifor Evants,
“Yeats stands out as the
greatest poetical figure of
the first half of the twentieth
century of a stature beyond
controversy.”

Thomas Stearns Eliot


Thomas Stearns Eliot was one of the representative metaphysical
poets. He was a man of pessimistic bent of mind and in ‘The
waste land’ he presents gives picture of pessimism. ‘The Love
Songs of J. Alfred Prufrock’ reveals urbanization, hollowness,
cowardice, disappointment of urbanized and organized modern
man through character of Prufrock. ‘Ash Wednesday’,‘The Hollow
man’ and ‘Four Quarters’ are remarkable poems. Eliot was the
most remarkable in the most influential poet of his period both in
regard to subject matter and style. Edward Albert
“With the possible exception
of Yeats, no 20th century
poet has been held in such
esteem by his fellow poets
as Eliot..”
G. M. Hopkins
G. M. Hopkins is mainly a poet of nature and also an
experimental poet. His most important experiment is Sprung
rhythm’ found more complex paths to new ways in modern poetry.
His imagery is remarkable for its richness. Ifor Evans remarks
about his greatness as a poet in his ‘Short History of English
Literature’,
“Hopkins is a unique figure
in the history of English
poetry. No modern poet
has been the centre of more
controversy or the cause of
more misunderstanding.”

W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden was accepted as a leading poet whose influence
was felt in much contemporary verse. The most immediate
impression made by Auden’s poems is its ‘Psychology’. He is well
known by ‘Lifting Political Ideology.’ His best poem (1)‘The
Orator(2) ‘New Years Letter
Conclusion
To summing up, modern poetry can safely take its place of
pride in the kingdom of poetry produced from the times of
Chaucer to the modern times. It is reflection of Modern life. It is
realistic in tone and expresses the spirit of the age. It can not be
denounced as petty, wayward and puerile. In a short, it is less
vague, less verbose, and less eloquent than poetry of the
Victorian era. It has absolute sincerity and simplicity. In the words
of W. W. Robson
It is likely that if English
Literature of this century
survives at all-it will be
in selection from poetry.” –

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