Scholardox

SOURCE: Amy Lowell (1874-1925). “The Process of Making Poetry.” Poetry and Poets: Essays. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1930.

SETTING: Lowell was a famous American poet in the heyday of American poetry, and a leader of the imagist school of poetry. In her essay “The Process of Making Poetry” she gives advice to budding poets.

EXTRACT

I believe [a poet] should be thoroughly grounded in both the old and the new poetic forms, but I am firmly convinced that he must never respect tradition above his intuitive self. Let him be sure of his own sincerity above all, let him bow to no public acclaim, however alluring, and then let him write with all the courage what his subconscious mind suggests to him.

COMMENT

This good advice applies to any intellectual endeavor. If you are not thoroughly grounded in both the old and the new you frequently will only reproduce what others have done before or will be mired forever in trying to solve problems that others have already solved. Nevertheless, once you do become well versed in your intellectual sphere of interest (physics, mathematics, poetry, chemistry, economics, etc.) have the courage to follow your own path that you believe in. If you have a nagging  feeling that you are just following a fad and you are not sure your views and approach are totally legitimate — well, you’re probably right and you will see your conformist work rot like dead fish over a short period of time. I think that’s what Amy Lowell is telling us.