Year: 2025
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“The Sound of Autumn”—Part I
Ferrick Gray — The poem I have chosen is written by Kenneth Daniel Wisseman, and is included in his debut book—To Look Upon Eurydice. It is also written in one of my favorite forms, that of terza rima. Hopefully many will know of this form from Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy).
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The Egoist—An Individualist Review
Ferrick Gray — Something most have forgotten about, but more than likely have never heard of—one of the early modernist periodicals, The Egoist. I have printed a few of these publications to read. The main reason was for the input made by Pound and Eliot, two of the men of 1914 so they say.
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The Meaning of Style—John Middleton Murry
Ferrick Gray — The Problem of Style was published in 1922 and is a collection of lectures given in 1921 at the school of English Literature at Oxford. As such, they do not completely lend themselves to the style of an essay as Murry states in his prefatory note. His main concern was that there…
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Two Poems by Katherine Mansfield
Ferrick Gray — There are few who have heard of Katherine Mansfield and even fewer knowing of her poetry. She was better known for her short stories, but sadly today these too do not receive the attention they should. Katherine Mansfield was the wife of John Middleton Murry, and it was he who published a…
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The Shakespearean Sonnet
Kenneth Daniel Wisseman — During Queen Elizabeth’s rule, the Sonnet became the most popular lyrical form for Renaissance poets, creating ‘little songs’ in praise of beauty and of love. One in particular, a playwright for the Globe Theater and contemporary of Christopher Marlowe, became the most famous poet of all time, his name was William…
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When I Buy Pictures—Marianne Moore
Ferrick Gray — I have read that Marianne Moore was one of the modernists. This may well have been true because of the unorthodoxy of her poetry in terms of construction and presentation. It was different, and did not meet with great approval. However, I do not think it was a matter of making the…
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The Palace of Truth — W. S. Gilbert
Ferrick Gray — This is a very charming and humorous play which can be easily read from the page, but it has also appeared on stage numerous times since its first performance in 1870. The playwright is none other than W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, and this was one of his most…
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Believability and Understandability in Poetry
Ferrick Gray — Success of a poem can rarely be gauged by the poet themselves. Mostly it is the reader who determines the success or failure of a poem. There are two factors to be considered, these being believability and understandability.
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The Rondel
Ferrick Gray — The rondel originated from French lyrical poetry and consists of two rimes in three stanzas. The repetition and its manner of reading gives it a very pleasant and musical quality.
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The Naming of Cats (Metrical Analysis)
Ferrick Gray — This metrical analysis of Eliot’s The Naming of Cats demonstrates his keenness for traditional meter, but stepping away from the stricter iambic pentameter. We must also realize that this and other poems were written for children, so it is expected that the meter will reflect the mood of the poem.