Pound, Williams, and Chinese poetry: The shaping of a Modernist tradition, 1913-1923

The rapid modernization of Pound's poetry between 1912 and 1917, and of Williams' poetry between 1917 and 1923, can largely be accounted for by their response to literary influences. While the two poets' debt to the French has been thoroughly studied by Rene Taupin, what they owed to the Chinese has only been briefly treated in a few books. My dissertation proposes to fill up this gap by tracing their explorations of Chinese poetry in this period and identify the Chinese influence in their early works.;My investigation begins with a survey of Pound's discovery of Chinese Imagism in 1913. Evidence will show an immediate relation between his initial Chinese exploration and the making of Des Imagistes. Pound was inspired to write the four pre-Fenollosan Chinese poems by studying H. A. Giles. The experiment in turn encouraged him to bring together poems modeled on the Greek and on the Chinese. What he derived from the Chinese was a "hardness" that is not seen in Ripostes. Pound's next move was toward Vorticism and Cathay. Ample evidence from published and unpublished material will demonstrate how Pound succeeds in reviving the beauty and simplicity of Li Po, and how he fails to bring out the Zen-Buddhist essence of Li Po's contemporary Wang Wei.;Williams' early enthusiasm for Chinese poetry remains unexplored. Evidence will testify that he began a dialogue with the Mid-Tang poet Po Chu-i, first through Giles and then through Authur Waley, between 1918 and 1921. The result of this encounter was an adoption of Chinese notion and method in his own poetry. Without this dialogue, Williams wouldn't have attained a Taoistic serenity in many of his Sour Grapes poems. As Williams evolved toward Spring and All, the influence of Po Chu-i became less visible. Scrutiny reveals, however, Chinese elements blended with elements from other traditions.;Though my study relies on historical data, its real emphasis is on comparison of texts between periods and cultures. My theory of influence is that affinity comes before direct influence. Pound and Williams were both prepared to receive the Eastern heritage.