What is Modern Poetry in English Literature
Modern poetry in English literature has continuously evolved since the nineteenth century. It has been shaped by religious, political, and aesthetic movements and developments, as much as by literary tradition. By examining the works of the key English poets that have defined the genre, it is possible to appreciate the range of techniques, themes, and styles on offer across a wide variety of interpretations.
The most prominent movement in modern English poetry is known as modernism. Akhil Gupta, an English professor at Oxford University, explains that modernism rejected traditional poetic forms as too artificial and conceptualised by instead utilizing a greater sense of self-expression, innovation, fragmentation, interpretation, and intellectualism to create a new kind of poetic work. Notable contributors to this movement include W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, and Robert Frost.
This more ambitious and heavily stylistic approach of modernism set the stage for the further development of English poetry. As writers continued to experiment, they began to express their feelings and impressions of the modern world and its challenges. For example, the Beat movement of Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and others, explored the exhaustion of post-war culture and the inner struggle of achieving individual identity, while the Black Mountain poets, championed by Robert Creeley and Charles Olson, explored a nature-based spirituality and the use of language for liberation.
In contrast to beat and black mountain poets, a third stream – the art-for-art’s-sake movement – sought aesthetic and cultural purity. Robert Lowell is one of the most visible proponents of this school. This movement sought to combine expression and modernity, turning increasingly away from traditional narrative and embracing free association, symbolism, and abstraction.
In the late 20th century, many of these movements gave way to new voices. For instance, confessional poetry was a major development of this period, with poets like Sylvia Plath, Robert Low and Anne Sexton speaking of their own experiences with frankness and candour.
Meanwhile, British poets such as Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin explored themes of nature, characters, and culture and were the main agents of poetic revival in Britain during the late 20th century. A particular favorite is Hopkins, who composed poems that expressed a deep reverence for nature and argued man could fully comprehend spiritual realities through exploration of the natural world.
In recent years, voices such as Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Duffy, and Andrew Motion have kept English poetry relevant. Responding to the seismic shifts in the language, these poets explore contemporary themes including politics, social media and the environment.
The Role of Rhyme and Meter
Rhyme and meter also plays an important role in poetry. Scholars have long discussed what makes poetry great – ranging from the brevity of expression and the aural emotions of sound, to the design of language forms or the poetic ability of speech to evoke ideas.
One common feature shared by many English poets is their use of rhyme and meter. These devices allow poets to employ rhythm, alliteration and internal rhyme, in order to create expressive effects and create a sense of harmony in their poems. As Brook, a professor of poetic studies said, “rhyme and meter can often be used as an indication of order and control, while simultaneously embracing the exciting possibilities of chance”.
A key poet who relied heavily on rhyme and meter is Emily Dickinson, who is widely considered to be one of America’s greatest poets. Utilizing an internal rhyme structure, Dickinson often wrote a mixture of rhyming couplets and tercets, as well as off-rhyme to create a lyrical, conversational quality.
W.B. Yeats is another poet who used traditional poetic forms to great effect, employing alliteration and polysyllabic wording throughout his work. Additionally, he was renowned for inventing poetic forms and styles, such as his ‘chastised rhyme’ technique which assigns heavy rhyming endings to words, and his ‘gyre technique’, which allowed for great freedom to explore a range of emotional and philosophical possibilites.
These widely different ways of employing rhyme and meter has allowed each poet to bring his or her own unique style to the genre.
A Focus on the Individual
One of the central tenets of modern poetry is its focus on the individual. The work of many English poets centers on the philosophical, psychological and spiritual development of the poet themselves, which often reflected their personal reactions to the world.
This sentiment is on display in the works of Walt Whitman, who pioneered the exploration of the inner self. Known as the father of free verse, Whitman wrote fluidly, creating an almost spiritual effect that resonates in the reader. His works sought to unify the individual and nature through poetic imagery, as he sought to explore America’s unique culture and identity.
The focus on the individual can also be seen in the works of Adrienne Rich, a Jew and feminist poet who used her work to confront difficult topics such as oppression, civil rights, and the Vietnam War. Rich’s exploration of her own personal and political beliefs coupled with her mastery of language and literary devices, created a depth and uniqueness that resonated with readers everywhere.
The focus on the individual and the use of plain language has also been a characteristic feature of contemporary poetry in English literature. Spoken word poetry, for instance, is becoming increasingly popular and has recently grown from a small underground street art form, to a mainstream art form. High-profile poets like Sarah Kay, Rudy Francisco and George Watsky have become renowned for their powerful, intimate and sometimes humorous works, that reflects their personal beliefs, emotions, and values.
A Reflection of Globalised Culture
Poetry in English literature has always been a reflection of the changing culture of the society in which it has been created. In modern times, the rapid technological changes, globalisation, greater tolerance and mobility, has influenced the language, tone, and themes of modern poetry.
This is apparent in the poetry works of Kamau Brathwaite, who wrote primarily during the Caribbean’s post-colonial identity crisis. His writing combined West Indian themes with a contemporary avant-garde style, creating a unique voice that celebrated black literature and consciousness.
This notion of cultural exploration is also true for poets like slams Hannah Lowe, whose works mix lyrical style with social and political subject matter, as well as capturing tales of displacement and rebirth. Similarly, a number of Afro-Caribbean poets have been pushing boundaries by exploring features of African diasporic experience, including issues of race and the effects of cultural displacement.
These examples illustrate the potential for English poetry to be both informed by the essential values of society and to transcend those values. It is this freedom that makes modern poetry in English literature so exciting.
Exploring the Unknown
Modern poetry in English literature is also a tool of exploration. Many poets draw on elements of the unknown – whether it be the spiritual realm, the social structures, or the subconscious – in order to explore these phenomena more deeply.
The metaphysical poet John Donne heavily used personification, complex metaphors, and allusions in order to explore the spiritual unknown. Similarly, Robert Frost embraced the mystical qualities of nature to explore existential questions, while T.S. Eliot explored the human psyche by utilizing symbolism, alliteration and stream-of-consciousness techniques.
The choice of language can also be used to explore unknown realms. The works of Irishplaywright, poet and novelist Samuel Beckett, utilizes a distinctive style of choppy and elliptical stream of-consciousness statements to explore his own thinking. Beckett’s work has been described as an “offering of sonic explorations from the unchartered regions of inner space”, and has been deeply influential on later poets.
By combining aspects of traditional poetic forms with innovative techniques, these poets have created a great range of works that enabled readers and writers to explore the unknown.
Conclusion
Modern poetry in English literature has been continuously evolving since the 19th century. It has been shaped by religious, political, and aesthetic movements and developments, as much as by literary tradition. As it continues to change and adapt to the diverse demands and interests of society, modern poetry is becoming increasingly varied and eclectic. Whether it be the focus on the individual, the exploration of the unknown, or the reflection of globalised culture, modern poetry has emerged as a powerful and vibrant expression of life.
