A Study Of The Ideologies In Ezra Pound’s Pisan Cantos

The dissertation aims at the ideologies in Ezra Pound’s Pisan Cantos, which focuses on the following problems:First, the Neoplatonism in the Pisan Cantos. The dissertation answers what the Neoplationism is in Pound’s point of view. It concludes that for Pound Neoplationism is "metaphysics of light", and the philosophy on Nous."Light" is a metaphor, which implies God or virtue in Neoplationism, and Nous is another philosophical term in Neoplationism, which means a medium through which light arrives at creation, or by which God reveals Himself. Based on Pound’s understanding of Neoplationism, the dissertation outlines a Neoplatonic return path of the soul, or a path of Neoplatonic ascension of the soul in the Pisan Cantos’ fragmental texts, for example, the ascension from the sensible beauty to the external beauty, and from the earthly love to the heavenly love. Besides, the dissertation establishes the link between Pound’s "atasal"(the highest state of the soul) and mysticism and Plotinus’ unity of man and God and mysticism.Second, the Confucianism in the Pisan Cantos. The dissertation combs and analyses the Confucianism in the Pisan Cantos. It concludes that the Confucianism in the Pisan Cantos is a poetic, deformed Confucianism, which means the Confucianism that is processed by Pound’s poetic languages, emotion, imagination, and inspiration. It includes contextual or situational Confucianism, ideogrammic Confucianism, and aesthetic Confucianism. The poet not only takes it as a ruler or criteria to measure or judge the right and wrong morally in the West, but also tries to build a tie between Confucianism and Neoplatonism, and set up a dialogue platform for them so that he could draw a blueprint for the future of the West and the world.Third, the myths in the Pisan Cantos. Analyzing the pluralistic, diverse myths in the Pisan Cantos, the dissertation argues that the myths or the mythological images in the Pisan Cantos are the deformed or even invented ones that combine poet’s thinking, feeling and imagination. It concludes that, for a poet in jail, these myths or mythological images provide not only a poetic way of living, but also a way of reconstructing identity and building of the ideal paradise. The dissertation suggests that it is in the imaginary world of the myth that the poet himself again identifies who he is and understands what the paradise will be. It seems that he is no longer a prisoner in Pisan jail, but an Odysseus-like explorer in Homer’s Epic, a griot (the original African troubadour) in exile in ancient African legend, or a mad Celtic King("King of Goll" and "the Mad King Sweeney") in ancient Irish legend, or a great prophet like the blind Tiresias in Greek mythology etc. That’s to say, he doesn’t seem to be the punished and the observed, but an active thinker and observer, a philosopher and sage, who is gazing at the world, thinking about what happened or what is happening in the world, and what the world will be and should be. Finally, he appears to have found the ideal paradise in the immortal ancient cities like "the city of Dioce"(i.e Ecbatana) and "Wagadu" in the African Soninke legend.Fourth, Pound’s pro-fascism and anti-Semitism in the Pisan Cantos. Revealing some manifestations of Pound’s explicit and implicit pro-fascism and anti-Semitism, the dissertation mainly analyzes the deep roots that make Pound go to violence from pursuing virtue or goodness, and expounds their potential confusions, harms or even dangers. It concludes that Pound’s going to violence from pursuing virtue or goodness is closely related to his personal understanding and preference to Mussolini and his fascist regime, and is also related to his attitude or prejudice to the Jews, Judaism or even the Hebrew culture. The dissertation argues that, in Pound’s point of view, fascism and anti-Semitism don’t go against, but agree with Neoplationism and Confucianism, or his philosophical thinking and construction of the paradise. What we think is violent is not violent at all in Pound’s view. The dissertation also argues that, in Pound’s opinion, Mussolini is not a tyrant, but a Jefferson-like ruler, a political elite like Sigismund Malatesta, and a Neoplatonic-Confucian sage. At the same time, Pound thinks that his anti-Semitism is not violent, either. The essence of his anti-Semitism is against Jewish bankers and usurers, Judaism and the Hebrew culture itself as well, whose purpose is to to revitalize and save the Western culture. The dissertation concludes that seemingly Pound’s pro-fascism and anti-Semitism sound sort of reasonable, but are actually misleading, harmful or even dangerous. Because he mistakenly compares Mussolini, a fascist and tyrant, with Jefferson, a founding father and the3rd president of America, Sigismund Malatesta, an Italian ruler of15th century, and the ancient Chinese sage Confucius. Besides, he also unilaterally relates the Jews to usury, and attributes the degradation of the Western culture to Judaism and the Hebrew culture.Finally, the internal contradictoriness of Pound’s thought in the Pisan Cantos. The dissertation argues that the internal contradictoriness of Pound’s thought lies mainly in totalitarianism and individualism, monotheism and polytheism, and two contradictory opinions on the paradise. The dissertation points out that Pound’s individualism is related to his personal understanding of Confucianism. It’s also related to his deep-rooted polytheism and paganism. Pound’s totalitarianism has much to do with his personal understanding of Confucianism, Neoplationism and fascism. As for his monotheism, it reflects itself in his personal understanding of Neoplationism; while his polytheism is associated with his special understanding of God, and his belief in religious freedom. Pound’s two opposing views on the paradise are that, on one hand, he thinks the paradise exists in the fragments of the real world; on the other hand, he insists "le Paradis n’est artificial", it only exists in the other world or the world of the myth. The dissertation concludes that the irreconcilable contradiction between totalitarianism and individualism has resulted in his opposite views on the relationships between individuals, or individual and society; while the sharp opposition between monotheism and polytheism has led to his opposite views on the relationship between human beings and God. These two oppositions in his thought have finally brought about the contradictoriness of his philosophical thinking and the end of his ideal paradise.