The Introspection On Modernity In Robert Frost's Poetry

Robert Frost (1874-1963) was among the great poets of twentiethcentury in America. A very common thing to occur to authors is to be misunderstood. Most suffer misunderstanding and misrepresentation, but a few occasionally benefit. Of these rare few Robert Frost was one. Of all the major twentieth-century American poets, Robert Frost remains the most well-known, the most public. In more than half a century of active composition, Frost lodged dozens of poems in the collective literary memory of America.Robert Frost was famous for his pastoral verses. But Frost's tone is 'modern'. Frost is plainly the most deceptive poet in the history of our literature (Parini, 2004:266 ). His poetic world is rich with implication, and devoid of direct pronouncement unless surrounded by undercutting ironies.Based on the clue to the human situation in the universe chaos in Frost's poetry, from a new perspective of the introspection on modernity, this thesis intends to interpret his apparently simple but meaningful poetry, implying rich philosophical thought. In this thesis, the writer will put some Frost's verses into study and try to have a detailed text analysis to probe the introspection on modernity based on the close reading of New Criticism; then, to analyze the major factors contributing the introspection on modernity by ways of psychobiography.This dissertation can be divided into four chapters:In Chapter one, the author surveys literature reviews, proposes assumptions, systematizes methodologies and affords contribution of this paper.In Chapter Two, the author explores the introspection on modernity shown in Frost's poetry and analyzes the theme through four types of his poems. Firstly, in the pastoral verses with "dream", by implication, the poets express their longing for the spirit of home in the desperate odd-fellow society, as Sigmund Freud pointed out in his book the Interpretation of Dreams "The dream is the (disguised fulfillment) of a (suppressed, repressed) wish". (Freud, 1999:164) Secondly, in "Dark Poems" or "Terrifying Poems", symbolically, Frost revealed "something terrifying" in the solid world, which reflects the alienation of human beings in the modern civilization. It might be more accurate to view these "dark poems" as the individual striving for an existential ethic, just as what the existentialists hold that human beings should regard the self hostile to the world, so that they are unable to exchange ideas with each other, and that he is in a lonely, cold and strange world, suffering from the pain for life and the fear for death. Life is nothingness. Thirdly, in those poems with humanism thought, such as the Death of the Hired Man and Out, Out, Frost revealed the dilemma of man in the capitalist society of industrialization and cried out for a dignity of man, which implies a humanism thought, as Sartre pointed out "Existentialism is a kind of humanism". Lastly, in such poems against war as Ice and Fire and Once by the Pacific, symbolically, Frost expressed the terror of man's fate, which is caused by the desire from science and technology in the modern civilization. Man always pays too dearly for the refinements of civilization.The Chapter Three deals with the main factors contributing to the introspection on modernity in Frost's poetry. The first factor is Frost's personal experience. The second one is the Historical Background. The understanding of introspection on modernity is significantly enhanced by an understanding of the personal and historical details behind the work. The third factor is the background of American Literary Thought, including Emerson's influence on Frost, American Naturalism, Modernism, and Existential Ethics. The social background and the dominant cultural tendency are also very significant to the creation for a poet or a writer. The last main factor is religion.The Chapter Four is the conclusion. As a whole, it is a valuable stress that Frost has shown readers an 'active' introspection on modernity. Frost was forever speculating on the larger significance of some material fact or phenomenon. The poet's criticism on the solid world is not just complaint, but a "aiming-high" spirit. This is the essence of Frost's poetry.In the end, a conclusion of the whole study is made, inadequacies of the proposed papers and the focus of the future study are also brought up. It is hoped that this thesis will help nurture and foster people a sense of the human value and moral certainty in the facticity through reading such an essay.