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ashev i | | epoet ryreviewvolume 2L, no.l,2014 . issue 24

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"'When the Eagle Flies with the Condor..."

I

Charlotte Pence

"Not I ! " :

Strategies of Post-Millennial Confessionalistic Poetry

In this post-millennial age, the line between the private and the public

is increasingly being tested to the extent that the public persona and its

broadcasted epiphanies, activities, and confessions sometimes serve as a

stand-in for self-reflection and personal authenticity. Through multi-media

outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and reality shows that chronicle every-

thing from one's lunch choices to Senate floor deliberations, personal space

is increasingly public space. As cultural critic Jonah Lehrer phrased it:

"You are who you pretend to be."1

\fith the technological ability and pop-cultural fascination to record pri-

vate moments and distribute them, poetry that reveals personal details and

conflates the identity between speaker and author must feel the effects of

what could be viewed as an over-saturation of the confessional - which

was during the 1950s and 1,960s with Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, and

Sylvia Plath a political, rebellious act. It is far from that now. In this Kim

Kardashian era, revealing sex tapes are used as marketing tools to launch

careers whereas once they destroyed careers.

Considering the hyper-confessional climate of our era and that

"Confessional" is something of a derogatory label among poets, what

are some ways a post-millennial confessionalistic book can transcend the

personal and its particulars? In other words, what options are available to

poets who do wish to write about a personal subject matter, but who are

aware of the barbs and pitfalls of doing so?

The answer is, of course, that there are multiple ways - from redefining

what is experience to redefining what is the authorial "I." One strategy

is to avoid first-person autobiographical perspectives all together as we

see with the increasing popularity of persona poems. Another strategy is

to focus on language as subject rather than self as subject. The strategy I

would like to consider concerns the recent proliferation of concept collec-

tions2 in this era of authorial mistrust. Many of these books are worthy

of analysis, but the three that I will discuss represent different degrees of

distancing the self from the Confessional while at the same time delivering

306

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a personal narrative: Na'

Carson's Nox (2010), an<

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as Confessional. The inter

material - specifically co

larger context of a concep

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books? lfhat are their s

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of a "concept collectionr'

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focus on form - be it usin

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multiple speakers.

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have moved from such a s

Rosenthal first used the

define it) in 1959 during z

Rosenthal finds to be dist

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is unequivocally himself, a

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not to reveal".4 Granted, c

"Confessionalr" but typica

by Robert Lowell, specific

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also regarded as Confessi

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Lowell, Anne Sexton, and'om that now. In this Kim

marketing tools to launch

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I

i

iII

ASHEVILLE POETRY REVIEW

a personal narcative: Natasha Trethewey's Natiue Guard (2006), Anne

Carson's Nor (2010), and Joseph Harrington's Things Come On (201,1).

To clarify, the poets I am discussing are not ones who anyone would label

as Confessional. The intent is to analyze how poets treat confessionalistic

material - specifically confessionalistic material that is placed within the

larger context of a concept collection.3

So, how is the authorial "I" downplayed and subverted within these three

books? \7hat are their strategies to move beyond the narcissistic? To

universaltze rather than particularize personal experience? These books

use a combination of the following strategies: an inter-disciplinary weave

befween the personal with another subject such as a specific historical

period, political event, or genre other than contemporary poetry; a creation

of a "concept collection," meaning a tightly unified grouping of poems

that often features the aforementioned inter-disciplinary subject; an intense

focus on form - be it using received form or creating forms specific to the

collection's concept; an undercutting of the "I" through direct omission of

the "I" or questioning the "I1" and finally, a polyvocalic concern to include

multiple speakers.

A brief history of the Confessional poem might help situate how we

have moved from such a stance being revelatory to being rehashed. M.L.

Rosenthal first used the term "confessional" (but did not elaborately

define it) in 1.959 during a review of Robert Lowell's Life Studies. 'Sfhat

Rosenthal finds to be distinctive about Life Studi and what is now

tied to the Confessional school - is the conflation between poet and

speaker. As Rosenthal explains, "Lowell removes the mask. His speaker

is unequivocally himself, and it is hard not to think of Life Studies as a

series of personal confidences, rather shameful, that one is honor-bound

not to reveal".4 Granted, one could argue that many poems arc ipso facto"Confessional," but typically the term is confined to characteize the work

by Robert Lowell, sirecifically Life Studies, Anne Sexton's four volumes,

and some of Sylvia Plath's poems including "Daddy, "The Colossus,"

"Lady Lazarusr" and "'Witch Burning." Many sources will argue that

Confessionalism began before Life Studies - which is only logical as no

period or poet performs within a vacuum. A few of the significant works

also regarded as Confessional include Ginsberg's Howl (1955), \7.D.

Snodgrass's HeArt's Needle, which was published the same year as Lowell's

307

NOT I !

Life studies in '1.9 Sg,Berryman's Tbe Dream songs (1,969), and many other

works by Elizabeth Bishop, Delmore Schwa ft2, and Theodore Roethke'

Each of these works shares certain characteristics that later would help

define the porous boundaries of this genre called confessionalism' These

works invite the reader to conflate the speaker with the poet through auto-

biographical detail. Furthermore, the works sometime present an unflat-

tering portrayal of self and family. Moreover' the speaker implicates him

or herself within the poem's woes by admitting to mental illness' suicidal

thoughts, such as with Lowell's famous admission that "my mind's not

right,, in ..Skunk Hour." And finally, the poem moves beyond a sense of

propriety, and reveals shameful, personal confidences that are otherwise

considered impolitic or impolite'

Confessional poems owe much of their existence to Romanticism and

its personal epics that include \Tordsworth's The Prelude' Coleridge's

"Dejection Ode," and what M.H. Abrams terms "The Greater Romantic

Lyric,' and "crisis autobiography" as represented by Keats's odes and

Shelley's Mont Blanc. All of these works represent a larger shift within

poeric sensibilities. As Abrams establishe s rnTbe Mirror and tlte Lamp,the

Romantic poets rejected the more pragmatic poetry of their predecessors

(meaning poetry whose intent was to teach, unify, persuade, or solidify

communal beliefs) and emphasized a more expressivist lyric. In The Mirror

and the Lamp, M.H. Abrams details the criteria of composing from an

expressive theorY, which includes:

1. It is "the internal made external ... operating under the impulse of

feeling, and embodying the combined product of poet's perceptions'

thought, and feelings."

Z. The ..poet,s own mind" is the "primary source and subject matter of

a Poem."

3. The cause of poetry is a desire for the poet to express.s

One can readily see how the Romantics' insistence on the poet's mind for

his material - hence the Romantics' emphasis on imagination' the primi-

tive, and consequently the sublime - influenced Lowell, Plath, and sexton'

The Romantics, however, were not Confessional' Yes, the Romantics artic-

308

ulated their feelings, Yet tl

in dream visions, imaginer

This tidy historY, however

the publication of Life Sta

before that collection, a v

tions, and received forms.

poems' "confessionsr" the

references to her father br

written on how Sexton c'

to her, specificallY regardi

father.

Some well-known reactio

are embodied in Langua

who present entirelY diffe

such as AnthonY Hecht,

Merrill investigate how I

and emphasize self-Preser'

Lyn Heiinian, Bruce Andr

tion the actual existence c

and experience are constr

Language itself is Part of

pits" as Hefinian calls it. I

weapon, so that language

ties, and commerc ializatio

In general, however, the c

in mistrust than in moven

authorial "I" is dead, but

no response. To catalog z

instance) would be far to

ply an issue of rhetoric,

overused is not that catct

authorial "I" that is beinl

convey an actual self, an z

or truth. These are all qur

preface to LYrical Ballaa

some of these ideas is ti

ngs (1.969), and many other

and Theodore Roethke.

;tics that later would help

ed Confessionalism. These

vith the poet through auto-

)metime present an unflat-

the speaker implicates him

I to mental illness, suicidal

;sion that "my mind's not

I moves beyond a sense of

idences that are otherwise

ence to Romanticism and

The Prelude, Coleridge's

ns "The Greater Romantic

nted by Keats's odes and

esent a larger shift within

t Mirror and the Lamp,the

oetry of their predecessors

nify, persuade, or solidify

:ssivist lyric. InThe Mirror

ria of composing from an

ting under the impulse of

luct of poet's perceptions,

.rrce and subject matter of

to express.5

rce on the poet's mind for

rn imagination, the primi-

Lowell, Plath, and Sexton.

. Yes, the Romantics artic-


ulated their feelings, yet the particulars of those feelings remain shrouded

in dream visions, imagined worlds of Albion, and Aeolian harps.

This tidy history, however, undercuts the complexity of the situation. After

the publication of Life Studies, Robert Lowell returned to his poetic voice

before that collection, a voice marked by elevated diction, heavy allitera-

tions, and received forms. \fith Plath, no on can deny that for all of her

poems' "confessionsr" the poems also do fictionalize as in "Daddy" with

references to her father being a Nazi and she a Jew. And much has been

written on how Sexton confessed to more than what actually happened

to her, specifically regarding the accusations of sexual molestation by her

father.

Some well-known reactions against Confessionalism in the 70s and 80s

are embodied in Language poetry and New Formalism, two schools

who present entirely different antidotes to cure the same woe. Formalists

such as Anthony Hecht, John Hollander, Richard Howard, and JamesMerrill investigate how received form could temper the I-gone-amuck

and emphasize self-preservation and effacement. Language poets such as

Lyn Hejinian, Bruce Andrews, Ron Silliman, and Charles Bernstein ques-

tion the actual existence of an authorial "I" and investigate how the self

and experience are constructs that are part of larger, signifying systems.

Language itself is part of a constructed system, words being "bottomless

pits" as Hejinian calls it. In turn, language becomes both the war and the

weapon, so that language is foregrounded to reveal its constructs, duplici-

ties, and commerc ialization.

In general, however, the overuse of the Confessional manifests itself more

in mistrust than in movements. Some critics have gone so far as to say the

authorial "I" is dead, but the smug presence of the authorial "I" requires

no response. To catalog all that has been deemed dead (poetry itself, for

instance) would be far too lengthy and problematic. Perhaps this is sim-ply an issue of rhetoric, for to say the autho rial "I" is problematic and

overused is not that catchy. But that is more the truth of the matter. The

authorial "I" that is being challenged is the authorial "I" that purports to

convey an actual self, an actual experience, and/or an actual transcendence

or truth. These are all qualities that'sfilliam'Wordsworth cultivated in his

preface to Lyrical Ballads in 1800 - which is exactly why challenging

some of these ideas is timely. So, the question remains: considering the

NOT I !

over-saturation of the authorial "Ir" what are some strategies a poet can

employ if he/she wants to discuss personal experiences?

Natasha Trethewey's Natiue Guard, which received ih. P.tlitrer in 2007,

exemplifies strategies now frequently employed in the post-millennial col-

lection - strategies that for the most part seek to downplay the authorial

"I". Natiue Guard maintains a tight focus around the interlinked subjects

of Trethewey's bi-racial heritage, her complicated relationship with the

South, her mother's murder, and the experiences of the Native Guard,

one of the first black regiments in the Civil'War. The emphasis on history

within the collection represents a decidedly post-millennial confessional

strategy that reflects the hyper-linked epoch that we live in. To imagine

this collection without the added developmental layer of the Civil 'War

is to imagine a collection that presents less conflict. Further, the layers

remind us how one's personal history is a product of our larger history.

In Trethewey's concept collection, the soldiers of the black regiment must

grapple with feelings of alienation and exclusion within a community -

the army - that supposedly embraces them. In many ways, Trethewey's

own childhood a century later mimics that of invited outsider. Through thejuxtaposition of diverse subjects within one body of work, readers grasp

the connections. Also, close attention to received forms such as pantoums,

ghazals, sonnet sequences, and blues poems harness what could be private

wonderings gone amuck. As one reviewer explains: "By setting the jewel

of rage in a formal ring, she suffuses and subsumes it, coloring many of, the poems here with pathos."5 Since Trethewey writes about unruly and

7 all-encompassing subjects such as miscegenation and racism, received

f forms help counter such vastness and provide shape.

The effect of the multiple topics and forms unites rather than splits herpoetry. As Randall Jarrell explains in his essay, "Levels and Opposites,"

"It is the easiest thing in the world for the poet to take one subject, to

say a few homogenous closely related things about it, and to end with a

beautifully unified poem.'7 Simply put, unity and clarity arc nor enoughto be effective in a poem. According to Jarrell, it is the dis-unifyizg forces

in the poem that create the necessary tension, surprise, and originality to

grab the reader: "The organization of a good poem, so full of strain and

tension, is obtained not merely by intensifying the forces working toward

3r.0

*

a simple unir, but by inte

post-millennial confession

state fail because of this

net that Trethewey casts .

her personal story. The se

objective, and subjecive sr

'V/hat also provides intrigu

help reveal Trethewey's IHistory of Mississippi," a

the six-page title poem is

Native Guard. "O how h

from this section.9 The lon

out to a person divided fr<

self. It is a vowel sound co

The impact of this line is ,

the soldier, once a slave, uhis thoughts intersecting ar

literal act serves to figurati

two-thirds of the book. Ir

multi-media experiences ol

etry as seen with Brenda Hi

away to supplant figures w

and personal with universa

that speak to us and for us

Undercutting the "I" by m,

ure, memory lapses, or disg

contrast and range in cont

ting the "I" is a sense of ,

personal bulletins. ln Natit

as it is in the other two bcpractitioners such as Ton;

Seidel. (Keep in mind the bthe "I" is present in subtl

other than the narrator's. I

at offering conflict without

rator's omnipotence: "In tl

some strategies a poet can

:riences?

eived the Pulitzer in 2007,

in the post-millennial col-

to downplay the authorial

rnd the interlinked subjects

ated relationship with the

rces of the Native Guard,

r. The emphasis on history

ost-millennial confessional

rat we live in. To imagine

tal layer of the Civil 'S7ar

onflict. Further, the layers

duct of our larger history.

of the black regiment must

rn within a community -

n many ways, Trethewey's

rited outsider. Through the

,dy of work, readers grasp

d forms such as pantoums,

ness what could be private

ains: "By setting the jewel

iumes it, coloring many of

y writes about unruly and

;ion and racism. received

hape.

rites rather than splits her

', "Levels and Oppositesr"

)et to take one subject, to

bout it, and to end with a

rnd clarity are not enough

it is the dis-unifying forces

;urprise, and originality to

)oem, so full of strain and

rhe forces working toward


a simple unit, but by intensifying the opposing forces as well.'8 In fact,

post-millennial confessional poems that fail to rise from their de-politicized

state fail because of this lack of dis-unifying forces. The wide historical

net that Trethewey casts in Natiue Guard nicely works with and against

her personal story. The sense that history is layered - both in temporal,

objective, and subjective senses - provides much of the book's intrigue.

\Zhat also provides intrigue are the multiple voices - and genres - that

help reveal Trethewey's family history. "scenes from a Documentary

History of Mississippi," are lyrical interpretations of photographs. Plus,

the six-page title poem is told from the point of view of soldiers in the

Native Guard. "O how history intersects - my own" begins one poem

from this section.9 The long "o" sound of "O" and "own" suggest call ing

out to a person divided from one's community, one's nation - and one's

self. It is a vowel sound connected to the howl of a lone wolf in the night.

The impact of this line is augmented by the poem that precedes it where

the soldier, once a slave, uses a Confederate soldier's journal to write in,

his thoughts intersecting and covering up another man's life. This soldier's

literal act serves to figuratively efface the first-person persona in the other

two-thirds of the book. In a sense, the polyvocalic impulse reflects th\

multi-media experiences of our time. Perhaps the trend toward docu-po-,>

etry as seen with Brenda Hillman, C.D. Wright, and Natasha Trethewey, iJ

a way to supplant figures with form, subjective image with objective image, ,, -fnand personal with universal in an attempt to encompass the multiple voicesl i '!

that speak to us and for us.

Undercutting the "I" by means of unreliable narrators, admissions of fail-

ure, memory lapses, or displays of unenviable character traits help provide

contrast and range in contemporary poetry. What is gained by undercutl-') ,.ting the "I" is a sense of difference from the current babbling brook

"f i/

personal bulletins. In Natiue Guard, such undercutting is not as prevalent '

as it is in the other fwo books to be discussed or as strong as with other

practitioners such as Tony Hoagland, Karyna McGlynn, and Frederick

Seidel. (Keep in mind the book was published in 2006.) Still, undercutting

the "I" is present in subtle ways as with the decision to bring in voices

other than the narrator's. Also, the poem "Pastoral" is a fascinating study

at offering conflict without any resolution, which serves to muddle the nar-

rator's omnipotence: "In the dream, I am with the Fugitive / Poets. 'We're

3rr

NOT I !

gathered for a photograph. / Behind us, the skyline of Atlanta / hidden by

the photographer's backdrop."10'What is interesting here are all the differ-

ent types of cover-ups: the hazy gauze of the dream; the backdrop covering

urban Atlanta for a pastoral never-existent one; the bulldozers' drone and

its ability to raze the earth; and Trethewey in blackf"... These multiple

concealments remind readers that everything is a presentation, even a

poet's personal story - and that such stories can often be a paint-by-num-

bers portrait that serves to remove undesired and complicated subtleties.

The poem ends with Trethewey telling the Fugitive Poets: "My father's

white ... and rural." The final line is their response: "You don't hate the

South? they ask. You don't hate it?" No answer is given, leaving readers

to wonder how the speaker does negotiate love and hate, connection and

disconnection, self and landscape. There can never be an answer to such

complicated questions, and the poem is right to acknowledge the speaker's

lack of abilitv to resolve these concerns.

"My personal poetry is a failure. I do not want to be a person. I want to be

unbearable."ll This quote by Carson succinctly describes the shape-shift-

ing, intellectual, yet intimate work of hers. As a poet who suffers from

severe stage fright and who has to be prodded to provide a bio longer than

what could fit on a clothing tag, Carson has created inimitable strategies in

her poetry that allow for personal exploration. At the same time, her work

often directly addresses the fallible nature of confessionalistic poetry. Like

other poets who seek to enlarge the personal to a universal experience,

Carson heavily relies on weaving personal subjects with other genres, be

it television or tangos. She especially draws upon her expertise in classical

literature. The focus on classical literature centers Vox, which is about the

death of Carson's brother and considered her most autobiographical work.

In Vox, Carson exchanges the use of two subjects for three: her brother's, i death, Catullus' elegy about his brother, and Hekataios' and Herodotos'

discussions on history. She builds tension, depth, and most of all surprise

by fragmenting her narrative and then reassembling it through what

Megan O'Rourke describes as "triangulation - or what [Carson] once

i i called 'a third angle of vision."'12

The triangulation of subjects requires an innovation of form, and Carson

presents readers with a book that looks like no other they have ever read.

312

(Admittedly, part of the p

at first, akin to a dizzyin

elegant, yet understated g

scrapbook Carson made,

ashes were scattered at se

that feature a carnival of

is plain, with the tape an

book came to be duplica

binding, Carson creates €

ongoing nature of grief. A

never ends. I prowl him. I

photographs, a heartbrea.

before his death (he left ,

from Herodotus, crude pe

elegy for his own brother.

breaks down the poem w

with added poetic phrase

hand side is usually reserv

Not only does the accor(

three subjects, the unrelen

of history, but the accordijuxtaposition. Carson's u

should not read from left

myself reading the right-J

page where the lexical enr

on the left added layers t

For example, Carson descr

second wife and not his gr

an adverb meaning "last

place." The sense that thir

speak, is cemented with r

layered coupling is founc

Michael. She has not seen

chastise him, but attempts

death. She ends by asking

dare to ask. She hopes. "1

mail a box for Christmas

line of Atlanta / hidden by

;ting here are all the differ-

rm; the backdrop covering

the bulldozers' drone and

blackface. These multiple

is a presentation, even a

r often be a paint-by-num-

nd complicated subtleties.

gitive Poets: "My father's

onse: "You don't hate the

:r is given, leaving readers

and hate, connection and

:ver be an answer to such

acknowledge the speaker's

c be a person. I want to be

describes the shape-shift-

a poet who suffers from

rprovide a bio longer than

ted inimitable strategies in

rt the same time, her work

rfessionalistic poetry. Like

to a universal experience,

ects with other genres, be

n her expertise in classical

:s Vox, which is about the

rst autobiographical work.

:ts for three: her brother's

lekataios' and Herodotos'

r, and most of all surprise

:mbling it through what

- or what [Carson] once

,tion of form, and Carson

other they have ever read.


(Admittedly, part of the pleasure of reading Carson is being a bit confused

at first, akin to a dizzyin5, yet sought after carnival ride.) Arriving in an

elegant, yet understated gray box, the book is a facsimile of a homemade

scrapbook Carson made, an "epitaph" she calls it, for her bother whose

ashes were scattered at sea. The scrapbook is unlike contemporary albums

that feature a carnival of smiles and staged moments. No, Carson's book

is plain, with the tape and ripped edges showing. (The story of how the

book came to be duplicated is an essay unto itself.) Instead of a perfect

binding, Carson creates an accordion page, a decision that speaks to the

ongoing nature of grief. As Carson writes, "I guess it never ends. A brother

never ends. I prowl him. He does not end."13 Included here are childhood

photographs, a heartbreaking letter from a mother who lost her son long

before his death (he left Canada to avoid drug charges in 1978), quotes

from Herodotus, crude paintings, and perhaps most importantly Catullus'

elegy for his own brother. This classic elegy shapes the collection as Carson

breaks down the poem word by word and provides lexical entries (often

with added poetic phrases) on the left-hand side of the book. The right-

hand side is usually reserved for the family's and Carson's elegiac scraps.

Not only does the accordion-page suggest the connectivity between her

three subjects, the unrelenting quality of grief, and the porous boundaries

of history, but the accordion-page highlights ones of Carson's great skills:juxtaposition. Carson's use of the accordion-page hints that the reader

should not read from left to right, but play between the pages. I found

myself reading the right-hand page first and then reading the left-hand

page where the lexical entries tended to reside. Usually, the word defined

on the left added layers to the information being presented on the right.

For example, Carson describes her brother's widow, a woman who was his

second wife and not his great love, alongside the Latin word "postremo",

an adverb meaning "last of all, lastly; (in a logical sequence) in the last

place." The sense that this widow was simply the last one standing, so to

speak, is cement.a iith the juxtaposition of the adverb. Another richly

layered coupling is found alongside the one letter from the mother to

Michael. She has not seen her son in "five years four months" and does not

chastise him, but attempts to console him from afar about his great love's

death. She ends by asking for the simplest thing - and in fact doesn't even

dare to ask. She hopes. "I hope I have an address for you where I could

mail a box for Christmas."14 A mother has reduced her expectations of

3L3

NOT I !

seeing her son, holding her son, conversing with her son to this one wish:

an address to mail a box. Facing this letter is the lexical entry for the word

donarem, meaning, "to present." Carson writes multiple definitions, and

each one hints at the motives behind her mother's seemingly simple, even

pathetic, desire: "to present, endow, reward (with); to provide, to honour;

to present grant, give (to); to confer; to grant power (to) ... to condone,

excuse (faults in); to forgive."ls The mother wants to give a gift so as to

provide for her destitute son; to show that she still honors him and bears

him no ill will; to share an act with him; to keep him - and her memories

of him - alive. Herein lies the genius of Anne Carsonl somehow, the lex-

ical entries with their impartial, scholarly distance manage to convey the

complexity and immensity of the characters' emotions.

Juxtaposition allows Carson to imply stories rather than narrate them.

Getting all the facts right, "confessing" if you will, are not the goals here.

For example, the book never discusses how her brother died and doesn't

need to as a memoir would. Instead, Carson's use of juxtaposition reminds

one of how other poets manipulate images. Robert Hass, for example, once

explained that poetry is the "sensation of clarity and sensation of perceiv-

ing it."l6 In other words, a poem - and the images within the poem -

are not about the summation of clarity, but the process of receiving such

clarity. By juxtaposing personal material with dictionary entries, old

letters, and a classical Latin poem, the reader is allowed to experience the

moments of clarity for him or herself. No pithy conclusions, numbing tran-

sitions, or explicit editori alizing are necessary. Instead, the reader re-ex-

periences what the poet does, which is why we go to poetry. It is about

recreating a moment, a private moment; if not that, then why not read the

CliffsNoteslT to Shakespeare's sonnets instead of the sonnets? 'We want

, to re-experience the moment of insights utith the poets. Poets know one

, j pitfall to Confessionalism is that retelling without re-experiencing is not a

i satisfying experience in poetry. Therefore, the better poets ask: what willt 'I strive to re-experience? Carson chooses not the guns-a-bl azingmoments,

but the quiet ones where she "swept my porch and bought apples and

sat by the window in the evening with the radio on."18 In other words,

she defuses the sensational experiences and emphasizes the interior ones,

using juxtaposition and an innovative form to allow readers to experience

moments of insight with her.

3L4

These moments of insight.

of unknowing. Throughour

remembering and recordinl

can never happen. She quot

Herodotos, who acknowlec

far the strangest thing that

history. This asking. For <

in fact people are satisfied

Readers start to see how or

book that they hold. For ex'

cate the brother's face (I dr

the pictures of him); photo

than figures themselves; ar

poles that slice the sky anc

the slim five or six phone

his exile. These photograpl

taposed with explicit admi

not to have effectively fia

Latin) can approximate Ca

an ak of deep festivity."2o

a room I can never leave, Iplace composed entirely of

ified - a syntactical gap sir

analyze? Is the "it" grief, s

of course, is all of the abor

the inclusion of dictionary

book. Technically, we can

one entry), be it 87 and 1/z i

quote is the word "nowr" ,

grief provides no exits.

Like the other books disr

acknowledges that the sto

shares her grief with Ca

widow - and does so by

pasting in their own writinl

poem in tea to make it l<

another voice, too, one thr

------

,th her son to this one wish:re lexical entry for the word

:es multiple definitions, and

rer's seemingly simple, even

rith); to provide, to honourl

power (to) ... to condone,

vants to give a gift so as to

) still honors him and bears

:p him - and her memories

Carson; somehow, the lex-

ance manage to convey thenotions.

rather than narrate them.

will, are not the goals here.

:r brother died and doesn't

rse of juxtaposition remindsrert Hass, for example, once

ry and sensation of perceiv-

images within the poem -

e process of receiving such

ith dictionary entries, olds allowed to experience the

conclusions, numbing tran-

Instead, the reader re-ex-

e go to poetry. It is about

:hat, then why not read theof the sonnets? 'We want

:he poets. Poets know one)ut re-experiencing is not abetter poets ask: what will

e guns-a-blazing moments,

:h and bought apples and

lio on."18 In other words,

phasizes the interior ones,

llow readers to experience


These moments of insight, however, are nicely undercut by admissions

of unknowing. Throughout the book, Carson alludes to how attempts at

remembering and recording are fascinating, yet futile, for true recording

can never happen. She quotes from two founders of history, Hekataios and

Herodotos, who acknowledge the fruitlessness of such activities: "Now by

far the strangest thing that humans do - [Herodotos] is firm on this - is

history. This asking. For often it produces no clear or helpful account,

in fact people are satisfied with the most bizane forms of answering."79

Readers start to see how one of tli.rirbir"il foi-to? ""i*.iirrg"

ii the

book that they hold. For example, Carson chooses photographs that obfus-

cate the brother's face (I don't really know what he looks like despite all

the pictures of him); photographs that focus on shadows of figures rather

than figures themselves; and photographs that are marred by telephone

poles that slice the sky and people in odd ways - an ironic nod toward

the slim five or six phone calls Carson received from her brother during

his exile. These photographs that reveal as much as they conceal are jux-

taposed with explicit admissions of failure. For instance, Carson claims

not to have effectively translated the Catullus poem: "no one (even in

Latin) can approximate Catullan diction, which at is most sorrowful has

an air of deep festivity."2o Carson also readily admits, "In one sense it is

a room I can never leave, perhaps dreadful for that. At the same time, a

place composed entirely of entries."21 'What is the "it" here that is unmod-

ified - a syntactical gap similar to a Sappho fragment that Carson would

analyze? Is the "it" grief, solace, translating, the book itself? The answer,

of course, is all of the above. The word choice of "entries" also relates to

the inclusion of dictionary "entries" and the ongoing singular page of this

book. Technically, we can't forget that this book has only one page (or

one entry), be it 87 and 7z inches long. Furthermore, adjacent to the above

quote is the word "nowr" another suggestion that "it" is ongoing - that

grief provides no exits.

Like the other books discussed here, the inclusion of multiple voices

acknowledges that the story told is simply not the poet's story. Carson I

shares her grief with Catullus, with her mother, with her brother's

widow - and does so by quoting from them in their own words and

pasting in their own writings when she can. (Carson even soaked Catullus'

poem in tea to make it look more authentic.) The lexical entries offer

another voice, too, one that uses a neutral stance of lexicographer. This

3r5

NOT I !

inclusion of voices and ephemera is key because it diffuses any sense of

the grief being a singular grief; instead, her grief is one of many. In an

interview with Publisher's'Weekly, Carson affirms this collective sense: "I

didn't want [Nox] to be about me mainly."22

Another inventive post-millennial collection is Joseph Harrington's Things

Come On: An Amneoir.'When I first read the jacket that explains this

book's concept, which is a combination of memoir and amnesia reflecting

on the poet's mother's breast cancer and the'Watergate scandal, I have to

admit that I was skeptical. With concerns regarding the over saturation of

the lyrical "I," this book seemed to be a logical extension of a poet reach-

ing too far outside of the self to legitimize the self. It became immediately

clear, however, how the post-millennial confessional can best reveal the

personal narrative by subverting it. \Tithin the epigraphs, one sees rwo

arguments for and against confessionalistic poetry. "The world is every-

thing that happens to me" by Jean-Michel Espitallier asserts that personal

concerns are one's universe. Yet, directly after this epigraph, and placed

last as if this epigraph has the final say is: "I prefer to say: I know that I

am a human being, and I know that I have not understood the system" by

Soren Kierkegaard. Instead of aligning the collection with either epigraph,

Harrington aligns the collection with both, resulting in an intellectual yet

emotional reading experience.

tThe

-,.rltiple voices within the book create resonating juxtapositions that

embody the full conflict and contradiction regarding our unsuccessful

attempts to survive. The traditional definition of polyvocalic refers to the

use of muldple voices in a work, and this book certainly does include

other voices - in fact, directly quotes - from the author's mother, father,

medical doctors, and a spate of political figures such as Nixon and his

aides. I would argue, however, that the book not only uses multiple voices

but multiple types of documents that embody different voices as well. The

documents present messages, biases, manipulations of meaning and sense,

and convey arguments not only in what they present but also in the presen-

tation of themselves. For example, early in the work is a copy of an index-

sized card that charts all of the mother's sizes down to her ring, glove,

and girdle. The card is carefully filled in to help others buy for her and

to help herself buy fabric to make her clothes. The penciled, faint writing

316

suggests an agreeable, m

more, the existence of s

period's gender expectati

book with a black and w

undergoing a mastectom)

one of routine insensitivi

would go in for "treatme

would awake with one or

in such a decision and th

way into the upper-third

the disregard for the fen

follows this picture: nan

the difficulty of his self-c

divine intervention:

Nixon: It's almost a n

came out of this year '

Rosemary'Woods: I d,

Nixon: And then to hi

assault - d"y after da

The juxtapositions do mu

the connections. In fact,

Hillman discusses in "(

Contemp otaty Poems. " Ir

"difficult" poetry by un<

ability to think through e

crete, metaphysical, figur:

odd everything is."24 Th

is poignantly displayed tl

muddles timelines, empha

when he describes learnin

a speeding ticket around

that.2S Another example

conversation between fat

The father says no; the r

pass."26 This conversati<

...-F-

rse it diffuses any sense of

;rief is one of many. In an

rms this collective sense: "I

[oseph Harrington's Things

re jacket that explains this

noir and amnesia reflecting'latergate

scandal, I have to

:ding the over saturation of

I extension of a poet reach-

self. It became immediately

ssional can best reveal the

Le epigraphs, one sees two

)etry. "The world is every-

tallier asserts that personal' this epigraph, and placed

rrefer to say: I know that I

understood the system" by

:ction with either epigraph,

ulting in an intellectual yet

)nating juxtapositions that

egarding our unsuccessful

cf polyvocalic refers to the

rok certainly does include

he author's mother, f.ather,'es such as Nixon and his

>t only uses multiple voices

ifferent voices as well. The

ions of meaning and sense,

rsent but also in the presen-

vork is a copy of. an index-

; down to her ring, glove,

:lp others buy for her and

The penciled, faint writing


suggests an agreeable, meticulous woman who follows the rules. 'What's

more, the existence of such a card succinctly conveys a different time

period's gender expectations. Another striking section arrives early in the

book with a black and white detailed drawing of a woman, face covered,

undergoing a mastectomy - an operation described earlier in the book as

one of routine insensitivity from the patriarchal medical staff. A woman

would go in for "treatmentr" and would not know, nor have a say, if she

would awake with one or two breasts. To imagine a woman having no say

in such a decision and then to see the brutality of the cut reaching all the

way into the upper-third of the arm is more than upsetting. Furthermore,

the disregard for the female experience is underscored by what directly

follows this picture: namely transcriptions of Nixon complaining about

the difficulty of his self-created problem in terms of death, survival, and

divine intervention:

Nixon: It's almost a miracle that I've survived this. you know. 'Cause I

came out of this year '72 terribly tired.

Rosemary'$foods: I don't know how you've survived it.

Nixon: And then to have this brutal assault, brutal, brutal, brutal, brutal

assault - d^y after day after day after day - no let up.23

The juxtapositions do much of the work, allowing for the reader to intuit

the connections. In fact, this book reads like the model for what Brenda

Hillman discusses in "Cracks in the Oracle Bone: Teaching Certain

Contemporary Poems." In this lecture, she discusses how one can approach

"difficult" poetry by understanding what "difficult" poetry offers: "an

ability to think through emotion on many levels - literal, abstract, con-

crete, metaphysical, figurative" and an awareness of "how particular and

odd everything is."24 This sense of compressed time and its weaknesses

is poignantly displayed through the personal testimony of the father who

muddles timelines, eirphasizes the trivial, and downplays the significant, as

when he describes learning about his wife's breast cancer. He had received

a speeding ticket around the same time and ends up talking more about

that.25 Another example of the excellent use of juxtaposition concerns a

conversation between father and poet about whether the mother cried.

The father says no; the mother would "get frustrated" but that "would

p4ss."25 This conversation is then followed by "

doctor talking about

3t7

NOT I !

how "in order to keep [family and friends] from falling apart, rhe woman

tries to keep her chin up and have a smile plastered on her face."27 All of

this is juxtaposed once again against another's doctor's opinion that "thePresident did not seem to understand the implications of what was going

on."28 \7hat follows is more conversation betwe.n ih. father and poet on

how the mother's two sisters had died of cancer. Finally, the page ends

with the mother's once again painfully chilling cheerfulness: "June 20 -

Saw Dr. Fleming. All OK. Increase medication to 3 a day."29 It is exactly

what is not said between these passages that renders such complex and

multiple meanings.

.V7hat is also being omitted in many of these po.-r is the use of first-per-

son to tell a personal story, which is one of the many strategies used toundercut the authorial "I." Harrington further subverts the authorial "I"

through his own admission of fallibility. He does so immediately with the

title and early in the collection where the dates of his mother's cancer areintentionally confused to the point of error. Another strategy to undercutthe "I" is to privilege the reader in making meanittg - a fundamental

tenet of Language poetry. Granted, many poems other than the mawk-

ish Hallmark-style or doggerel do not simply give readers meaning, buthave the reader intuit meaning through layers of particulars: tone, image,

specifics, etc. Still, this collection particularly strives to privilege reader asparticipant. The poem "Table. The Desperate Making of Lists" brilliantly

involves the reader in that it quotes what appears to be the outside read-

er's report of this book. In this case, the reader's report, if that is what it

is, undercuts the "I" and presents the opposing case to a book structuredlike Harrington's: "The documentary materials ... seem to function only

as distancing devices, a strategy to escape the overwhelming pathos ofthe personal story...."30 Yes, the documents may serve to distance writerfrom subject to object, but what's interesting is what the documents addby doing so. Tbings Come On and the other books discussed here illus-

trate the multiple options available to poets to pursue personal material

through the medium of disunity and its means of juxtaposition, collage,

and subversion.

\While some post-millennial concept books are exceptional in their exe-

cution, such as these that are discussed, others can seem stale after page

318

twenty. Another concern r

poems within a collectior

surrounding them. But th,

and interconnectivity as r

awate) perhaps too awarc

nected to something muc

sionalistic concept collect

that we perceive and also 1large for any one poem. 'l

as they are "a community

that echo and respond to

live alone any more than r

Notes

t. Jonah Lehrer, "We, Robots,

2. The term "concept" book, abook, suggests a shared sesuch as one of the first, TheL967. Hip-hop artists contirwell. Poets, like musical artthemes, material, and persr

tions allow for the next collt

3. In the essay, "Confessional

fessionalistic" refers to poe

characteristics.

4. M.L. Rosenthal, Our Life in

5. M.H. Abrams. Ihe Mirror an(Oxford: Oxford University Pr

6. Nicholas Gilewicz, "Native C

www. boo ks I ut.com/ poetry/1

7. Randall Jarrel l . "Levels andlssue 4 (Winter 1996).

8. Randall Jarrell, "Levels andlssue 4 (Winter 1996).

9. Natasha Trethewey, Native

10. Natasha Trethewey, Native

---!FF

m falling apafi) the woman

;tered on her face."27 All of

; doctor's opinion that "the

lications of what was going

Meen the father and poet on

rcer. Finally, the page ends

g cheerfulness: "June 20 -

, to 3 a day."29 It is exactly

renders such complex and

o.rn, is the use of first-per-

:he many strategies used to

r subverts the authorial "I"

)es so immediately with the

s of his mother's cancer are

nother strategy to undercut

meaning - a fundamental

ems other than the mawk-

give readers meaning, but

of particulars: tone, image,

trives to privilege reader as

Making of Lists" brilliantly

lars to be the outside read-

r's report, if that is what it

g case to a book structured

s ... seem to function only

e overwhelming pathos of

ray serve to distance writer

is what the documents add

books discussed here illus-

c pursue personal material

s of juxtaposition, collage,

3 exceptional in their exe-

i can seem stale after page


fwenty. Another concern regarding concept collections is that some of the

poems within a collection may not function as well without the context

surrounding them. But that fact speaks more to this epoch of hyper-links

and interconnectivity as much as it speaks to poetic technique. 'We are

aware, perhaps too aware, that our worlds are small, blind animais con-

nected to something much larger than ourselves. Post-millennial confes-

sionalistic concept collections seek to encompass the larger connections

that we perceive and also provide an alternative when a subject is much too

large for any one poem. The books are not as much collections of poems

as they are " a community of poemsr" to borrow a phrase from Jack Spicer,

that echo and respond to one another. As Spicer explains, "Poems cannot

live alone anv more than we can."31

Notes

1". Jonah Lehrer, "We, Robots," The New York limes, January 2L,2O!7.

2. The term "concept" book, as opposed to the slishtly more pejorative term "project"book, suggests a shared sense of history and purpose with musical concept albumssuch as one of the first, The Beatles's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band inL967. Hip-hop artists continue to use the concept album in most of their work aswell. Poets, like musical artists, use the concept album as a way to explore differentthemes, material, and personas in a sustained body of work. Also, concept collec-tions allow for the next collection to be radically different.

3. In the essay, "Confessional" refers to the specific poetic movement whereas "con-

fessionalistic" refers to poems that borrow a few, but not all, of that movement's

characteristics.

4. M.L. Rosenthal, Our Life in Poetry (New York: Persea Books, 1991).

5. M.H. Abrams, Ihe Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1953).

6. Nicholas Gilewicz, "Native Guard by Natasha Tretheway." Bookslut. April 2006.

www. booksl ut.com/po etry / 2OOG _04_008405. ph p

7. Randalf Jarrell, "Levels and Opposites: Structures in Poetry," The Georgia Reyiew 50,lssue 4 (Winter 1996).

8. Randall Jarrell, "Levels and Opposites: Structures in Poetry," The Georgia Reyiew 50,lssue 4 (Winter 1996).

9. Natasha Trethewey, Native Guard (New York: Mariner Books, 2006).

10. Natasha Trethewey, Native Guard (New York: Mariner Books, 2006), 35, lines 1-4.

3t9

NOT I !

11. Anne Carson, "Stanzas, Sexes, and Seductions," The New Yorker, December 3,2001, p.6.

!2. Megan O'Rourke, "The Unfolding," The New Yorker, July 12, 2OtO.

13. Anne Carson, Nox (New York: New Directions Books, 2O1O) sec. 7.1.

14. Anne Carson, Nox (New York: New Directions Books, 2OLO) sec. 4.1.


16. Robert Hass, fwentieth Century Pleasures; Prose on Poetry (New York: HarperCollins,1984) p9.285.

17. The preferred spelling of CliffsNotes.


1-9. Anne Carson, Nox (New York: New Directions Books, 2010) sec. 3.1.

20. Anne Carson, Nox (New York: New Directions Books, 2010) sec. 7.1.


22. Craig Morgan Tiecher, "A Classical Poet, Redux: PW Profiles Anne Carson,"Publisher's Weekly, March 29, 2OLO.

23. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress, 2OLt) pg.L4.

24. Brenda Hillman, "Cracks in the Oracle Bone: Teaching Certain ContemporaryPoems," Poetry Foundation, 2Q06,www. poetryfoundation.o rgl learning/ poeticsprint.htm l?id=2397 62

25. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress,2OLL) p9.6.

26. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress, 2OLt) p9.26.

27. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress, 2O1-l) p9.26.

28. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress, zOtL) p9.26.

29. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress, 2OLI) p9.26.

30. Joseph Harrington, Things Come On: An Amneoir (Middletown: Wesleyan UniversityPress,2OLI) p9.19.

31. Jack Spicer, My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, Eds.Peter Gizzi and Kevin Killian, (Middletown: Wesleyan University Press) 2008.

Wil l iam Pit t Root

The Scent of Mi lk in t l

" Mexico, blossoming ana

1,.

Always such a problem, t

as when these citizen

after decades of

on their appreciating plot

were evicted by local

who expected fr

just a spadeful of meek dr

a pair of curled shoer

no one would pr

Instead each pried lid

groaning wide and si

opened on an in

unspeakably human -

ghoulish faces

dressed in howls

limbs still clothed and crc

in funereal repose. O

and old women

in their decomposing best

but here lay faded in

clutching dusty r

and young men whose sta

still strain against thr

from firing squa

320

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