Modern America, 1914-present

Robert Lowell, 1917-1977

By Andrew Qureshi
Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Issues and Themes

A Young Lowell: A Powerful New Style

At the beginning of Lowell's career, he made a powerful impression with his composition "The Land of Unlikeliness." Through this work, he sought to reflect his views and opinions, as well as his life and the struggles that he had endured. His studies, with mentors such as John Crowe Ransom and Robert Penn Warren, had developed a style unique to the time period. This style was one that people could relate to and therefore caused his works to attain great popularity in contemporary literature. One critic remarked that "...Lowell's style is bold and powerful. His angry and violent use of Catholic symbolism is...extraordinarily effective" (New Republic). This "Catholic symbolism" was an undeniable characteristic of Lowell's early adventures as an author. His views on religion were a part of almost every theme Lowell sought to expose through his writing. Another critic remarks that Lowell is "consciously a Catholic poet" (New Republic). Lowell knew that religion was a central part of the lives of many Americans during that time and he used it effectively by incorporating religion into modern popular literature; a technique that was very effective for writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. However, Lowell's early stylistic techniques were far more intricate than that of just a religious poet. He took form to a new level, astounding many of those who dare read his thoughts and views. He was said to have "a challenging vitality in his fearless and energetic use of language and in his strongly personal rhythms" (Weekly Book Review). Some of his work was shocking, some had blatantly apparent motives, but all displayed the techniques of a gifted young writer who took 17th century formalism and modernized it into 20th century art (New Republic).

A Poet Evolves: The Voice of Experience

As Lowell got older, his experiences were reflected in his work. The picture of a more personal, emotional author was drawn by his work. Experiences such as his stay at a mental hospital, his battles with alcoholism, and his turbulent love life created a man with many words of wisdom. On the work "For the Union Dead", published in 1964, one reader remarks that the "sense of survival is strong in this book" (Newsweek). A sense of survival for Lowell was sometimes a harsh reality. His poetry sometimes reflected hopelessness and loneliness. A critic said that "Great chunks of his life has been spent in misery and in mental asylums" but also remarked that "Lowell's grim landscape is relieved by people, hallowed by compassion" (TIME). "For the Union Dead" was one of the best examples of Lowell's "anti- war" views in his work. In his new works, he was more abstract with his words and effectively produced reactions in every reader, bringing new meaning to poetry and establishing himself as a most notable contemporary poet.

Bibliography

"Land of Unlikeliness." The New Republic. 23 Oct. 1944. Rpt. in Book Review Digest. Ed. Dorothy Brown. H.W. Wilson co., 1945.

"Land of Unlikeness." Weekly Book Review. 17 Dec. 1944: 18. Rpt. in Book Review Digest. Ed. Dorothy Brown. H.W. Wilson co., 1945.

Stauss and Farrar. "For the Union Dead." Newsweek. 12 Oct. 1964. Rpt. in Book Review Digest. Ed. Dorothy Davidson. H.W. Wilson co., 1965.

"For the Union Dead." Time. 16 Oct. 1964. Rpt. in Book Review Digest. Ed. Dorothy Davidson. H.W. Wilson co., 1965.

"Poetry Exhibits: Robert Lowell." Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets. 21 Nov. 2000. <www.poets.org/LIT/POET/rlowefst.htm>.

This Web site contains a brief biographical outline, a picture of Lowell, and a recitation of the poem "The Public Garden" by Lowell.

"Robert Lowell." Books and Writers Online. 21 Nov. 2000. <www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rlowell.htm>.

- A brief biographical outline and a list of important works.

"Land of Unlikeness." Introduction by Allen Tate. Cummington, Massachusetts: The Cummington Press, 1944. <www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/treasures/american/lowell.html>.

- A description of "The Land of Unlikeliness" and a picture of the actual book.

Major Works

Land of Unlikeness
Lord Weary's Castle
The Mills of Kavanaughs
Life Studies
Imitations
For the Union Dead
Notebook of a Year
The Old Glory

Homes

Boston, Massachusetts
Southboro, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gambier, Ohio
Kent, Ohio
Iowa City, Iowa
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Careers

Teacher and Editor - State University of Iowa, Kenyon School of Letters, Boston
University, Harvard University, the University of Essex, Kent University
(taught poets including Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and W.D. Snodgrass)
Editorial Assistant - Sheed and Ward Publishers: New York
Consultant of Poetry - for The Library of Congress
Chancellor of The American Poets
Poet - won the Pulitzer Prize twice for his poetry
Essayist - won the National Book Award and National Book Award
Critic's Circle Award
Playwright

Family

Robert Lowell was born into a very old and upstanding Boston family.
Mother: Charlotte Winslow Lowell.
Father: Robert Traill Spence Lowell III. His ancestors include James Russell Lowell and Amy Lowell, who were also American poets.
He had two sons.

Chronology

1917: born on March 1st in Boston, Massachusetts
1930-1935: attends St. Mark's School, takes interest in teachings of Robert Eberhart
1935-1937: attended Harvard University
1937: introduced to John Crowe Ransom in Tennessee
1937-1940: moved his studies to Kenyon College where JCR was teaching
1940-1948: married writer Jean Stafford
1940-1941: attended Louisiana State University where he was taught by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks
1943: served a 5 month prison sentence for his participation in the anti- WWII effort
1944: published his first finished work, Land of Unlikeliness
1946: published Lord Weary's Castle - Pulitzer Prize
1947: won National Institute of Arts and Letters Grant and Guggenheim Fellowship Award
1949: was institutionalized for the first time in a mental hospital and married second wife, Elisabeth Hardwick, a writer and critic (1949-1972) (one son)
1949-1950, 1952-1953: taught at University of Iowa
1950: published Poems, a collection of poems that he wrote from 1938 to 1949
1951: published The Mills of the Kavanaughs
1952: won the Monroe Poetry Award
1955-1960: worked as a teacher at the University of Boston
1959: published his work Life Studies, which was influenced by W.D.Snodgrass and Allen Ginsberg's styles. It won the National Book Award (1960) and was said to have "changed the landscape of modern poetry" (poets.org).
1959: won The Guinness Prize
1960: published Poesie de Montale, a translation of poems by Eugenio Montale
1961: wrote the play Phaedra and Figaro (originally from Phaedra, by Racine) and published Imitations, a translation of other's works
1962: won the Bollingen Poetry Translation Award
1962-1977: served as Chancellor of The American Poets
1963-1977: Lowell taught at Harvard University
1964: won the New England Poetry Club Golden Rose and the Ford Foundation Grant for Drama
1964: published For the Union Dead, a work that portrayed his anti-war view
1965: wrote play, The Old Glory and won Obie Award for Drama
1966: won the Sarah Josepha Hale Award
1967: published Near the Ocean
1968: published The Voyage and Other Versions of Poems by Baudelaire, a translation of Baudelaire's works
1969: published Notebook 1967-1968, a personal journal
1969: wrote play Prometheus Bound
1972: married writer Caroline Blackwood (one son)
1973: published For Lizzie and Harriet and History
1973: published The Dolphin - Pulitzer Prize
1974: won Guggenheim Fellowship Award (2nd), Harriet Monroe Poetry Award Copernicus Award
1976: published Selected Poems, another collection of his poetry
1977: published Day by Day and won the National Award for Literature
1977: Robert Lowell dies in New York City on September 12

The Dolphin

My Dolphin, you only guide me by surprise,
a captive as Racine, the man of craft,
drawn through his maze of iron composition
by the incomparable wandering voice of Phèdre.
     When I was troubled in mind, you made for my body
caught in its hangman’s-knot of sinking lines,
     the glassy bowing and scraping of my will. . .
     I have sat and listened to too many
words of the collaborating muse,
     and plotted perhaps too freely with my life,
not avoiding injury to others,
     not avoiding injury to myself--
     to ask compassion . . . this book, half fiction,
an element made by man for the eel fighting
     my eyes have seen what my hand did.

Explication:

"The Dolphin", for which Lowell was awarded the pulitzer prize, was written in 1973.
It is written in free verse, having no discernible meter or rhyme scheme.
It is also a lyric poem which expresses the emotions of loneliness, helplessness, and the lack of control in the writer's life.
"The Dolphin" begins with Lowell's attempt to convey to the reader that he feels that his life seems to be out of control. He is acknowledging the spontaneity of life. This particular passage is something that Lowell knows many of his readers can relate to and thus brings these emotions across effectively (1-4). In lines 5-7, Lowell explains how his mind is "troubled" and his body is being strangled and also is sinking. Perhaps this may have something to do with his psychological condition and the condition of his body due to drinking. It also conveys the re-occurring theme of helplessness. In lines 8-9, Lowell explains that he has listened to the advice of others too much; something he obviously regrets. In lines 10-12, he portrays himself as being careless and maybe sometimes reckless. You get the sense that he regrets this carelessness and has learned from it, perhaps the hard way. In lines 13-14, he gives us the impression that we can learn from his mistakes. His poem could be a constructive tool telling us to organize our life to reach happiness. Line 15 is perhaps one of the most startling example of the theme of helplessness. A fitting end to a remarkable poem.

Unfamiliar Terms

Jean Baptiste Racine (1639-99)- was one of France's most notable tragic dramatists of the 17th century. He was influentially involved in the Renaissance movement of Classicism.

Phedre - A tragedy, written by Racine in 1677, which caused much controversy and almost resulted in Racine quitting theater for good.

Form and Content

allusion - "...Racine, the man of craft, drawn through his maze of iron
composition by the incomparable wandering voice of Phedre..."

                                               Lowell refers to the play "Phedre" by Jean Baptiste Racine.
                                               His use of an allusion here emphasizes to the reader his
                                               feelings of "loneliness" and "wandering." It portrays his
                                               views that his life is unpredictable and perhaps out of his
                                               control.

alliteration - "...a captive as Racine, the man of craft..."

The use of the words "captive" and "craft" create a sense
of harshness by using the "c" sound.

imagery - "...drawn through his maze of iron composition..."

It gives us a feeling of confinement as well as the feeling of
being drawn somewhere strange and eerie.

"...incomparable wandering voice of Phedre..."

It appeals to our senses, in that we can almost hear the
voice of which he speaks.

"...caught its hangman's knot of sinking lines..."

It appeals to our sense of feeling. It gives us a feeling of being
helpless and bound, sinking into the unknown depths.

"...bowing and scraping of my will..."

"Bowing and scraping" portrays a feeling of pain and
instability of will.

                   figurative language -Most of the passages in "The Dolphin" use figurative
                                              language to create a certain abstractness; an abstractness
                                              that he uses to leave the reader with individual interpretations
                                              which develop the overall themes of the poem.

"My Dolphin..."

                                               Although Lowell speaks of his "dolphin", he really does not
                                               mean that he has a dolphin. Most likely, he uses this term to
                                               describe the force which guides him in life.

" ...a captive as Racine, the man of craft, drawn by the
incomparable wandering voice of Phedre..."

                                               Lowell of course does not mean that he is really captive
                                               or drawn by a wandering voice; rather, he uses figurative
                                               language to describe his feelings of captivity and misdirection.

"...caught in its hangman's knot of sinking lines..."

He uses these terms to describe helplessness and fear,
one of the main themes in "The Dolphin".

" ...listened to too many words of the collaborating muse..."

                                                This passage most likely means that Lowell feels that he
                                                listened to the advice of others far too many times. Maybe
                                                this passage means that his instinct is the strongest and most
                                                reliable.

" ... an element made by man for the eel fighting..."

                                                Lowell means by this that this book is made for the
                                                betterment of man. Through his experiences, a lesson
                                                in life can be taught.

repetition - "...not avoiding injury to others, not avoiding injury to
myself..."

                                                 Lowell uses repetition to emphasize his personal feelings of
                                                 his inescapably destructive nature. The reader cannot help
                                                 but feel pity for the writer, given the circumstances of his life.