Literalist Of The Imagination

Marianne Moore, Pulitzer prize winner, is one of the famous Americanmodernist poets in the20th century. She was also a prolific poet at the sametime.Moore, literalist of the imagination, established her status in American modernistpoets with the unique literary creation and diversified poetic themes out of thetraditional novel. There are novel conception, unique image and deep connotation inMoore’s poetry, which constructs a colourful and vibrant world: elephants, monkeys,cobra, toad, swan, pangolin scales; pink jellyfish, dark brown mussels, yellow purpleferns. At first the introduction of this article will introduce life and works of Moore,one of the great American modernist woman poets. On the basis of summarizingMoore’s poetry researches, aesthetic modernity embodied in Moore’s poetry will beanalysed.The first chapter, from the point of critique of modernity in Marianne Moore’spoetry, studies how Moore make criticism on western civilization, modern science andtechnology in her poetry. Her poetry with the theme of war has critisized scientismand instrumental rationality. At the same time, she declared everyone had the right tostand in the center of the sea in the poem A Grave in order to dispel the order andcenter and promote the notion of equality.The second chapter discusses Moore’s worship of the novelty in poetry. Mooreresist the vulgar mediocre aesthetic taste through innovative way of poetry. Mooreused imaginary utopia against ordinary stark reality. Moore’s poetry has thepersonalized form, obscure poetry connotation and diversified poetry content. Theinnovative poetry form, the pursuit of individual character style and worship of thenew things in Moore’s poetry make Moore’s poems far from the mediocre conformityand shows the pursuit of the newness of aesthetic modernity.The third Chapter analyses aesthetic salvation function embodied in Mohr’spoetry, providing the possibility of rescuing the human from cage of the toolrationality. It emphasizes aesthetic utilitarianism. The theme of Moore’s poetry turned to the natural world in order to return to the perceptual, seek authenticity andget rid of the suppression of instrumental rationality.Conclusion part points out that, according to the analysis of Marianne Moore’spoetry, Moore reflected the aesthetic consciousness, aesthetic critical thinking,innovative aesthetic pursuit in her poetry and endowed aesthetic salvation function toher poetry, which proves that Moore’s poetry has the rich connotation of aestheticmodernity.