The Poetry of Moore by Marianne Moore
"The Poetry of Moore" by Marianne Moore is a critical exploration of the unique qualities that define her poetic voice and approach. Recognized as one of the most individualistic American poets since her debut in 1921, Moore's work blends modernism with vivid observations of the natural world, particularly through her fascination with animals. She employs meticulous detail to capture the essence of her subjects, often using them as a lens to reflect on human nature. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Moore's poetry is characterized by its enchantment with reality rather than philosophical detachment, showcasing a wide array of influences from various sources, including encyclopedias and documentaries.
Her poems are often described as "essays in verse," where she communicates moral lessons through her observations of the animal kingdom, emphasizing genuine imperfections and the beauty found in life's struggles. The structure of her poetry is distinctive, marked by a non-traditional metrical style that emphasizes syllabic patterns rather than rhyme or accent, creating a conversational tone that invites readers into her world. Ultimately, Moore's work is celebrated for its intellectual depth, emotional resonance, and the ability to illuminate the extraordinary within the ordinary, establishing her significant place in the American literary canon.
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Subject Terms
The Poetry of Moore by Marianne Moore
First published:Poems, 1921; Observations, 1924; Selected Poems, 1935; The Pangolin and Other Verse, 1936; What Are Years, 1941; Nevertheless, 1944; Collected Poems, 1951; The Fables of La Fontaine, 1954; Predilections, 1955; Like a Bulwark, 1956; O to Be a Dragon, 1959; The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore, 1967
Critical Evaluation:
Marianne Moore, probably the most individualistic American poet writing today, has been “modern” ever since she was first published in 1921. Although she has influenced scores of writers, her poetry is inimitable and unparaphrasable, with an excellence still distinctly her own. She is a rare combination of “poet’s poet” and advice-giving moralist. As a “modern” poet in New York in the 1920’s, many readers found her poetry “esoteric”: it was much admired by the select group of modern poets headquartering there, but almost unintelligible to most readers, and certainly did not seem great because most of her topics appeared inconsequential. Her modernism, contrary to writers influenced by T. S. Eliot during the same period, led her away from philosophy; she was never disenchanted by the world around her.
On the contrary, the enchantment she finds is everywhere, even in “business documents and school books.” Her fantastic footnotes are from encyclopedias, newspapers, National Geographic, documentary films, Tolstoy’s diary—everywhere. She seeks to show reality, the genuine.
Miss Moore’s favorite “inconsequential topic” is animals. The descriptions of her often exotic menagerie—“The Pangolin,” “The Jerboa,” “The Plumet Basilisk,” “The Frigate Pelican,” and monkeys, snakes, mongooses, a buffalo, fish, elephants, a snail—illustrate above all her uncanny accuracy as an observer. The smallest details are included to characterize her animals. In “The Pangolin” her description could be a stage director’s explanation of reasons behind actions so that his cast will make their stage movements believable. One could walk like a Pangolin after hearing Miss Moore’s instructions.
There are as many examples of minute observation in her poems as there are lines. Perhaps Miss Moore’s observations are somewhat difficult to follow; after all, most readers’ minds are not as enchanted as hers. The difficulty results, not from inaccuracy, but from her ability to compress so much description into so few unemphasized words. She is, in a way, trying to train her readers to be observers too.
As it often does, the title “The Fish” serves also as the first line. The size of the sea life diminishes as the poem progresses; both order and structure are carefully planned. Like a scientist, Miss Moore works from specifics to generalizations in all of her poems (“The illustration/is nothing to you without the application”). Her animal poems, more specifically, are like the works of a naturalist interested in animals as animals, not as symbols of people. Nevertheless, Miss Moore is a moralist. Her animal poems, which show what she admires in animals, illustrate what she wants to admire in humans. In fact, most of her animal poems fit into a broader category often termed “essays in verse.” She defends the cat, “Peter,” for example, by reminding us to be true to our own natures.
As animals are imperfect, so are people. Miss Moore admires honestly imperfect efforts because they demand fortitude; “Nevertheless” points out that the most beautiful design comes from “a struggle” in the strawberry plant, and that even the strongest plants must endure hardships. In fact, that is why they are the strongest.
She sees beauty and bravery in the simplest things, and in “The Face” she identifies the things that help define her aims as a poet: order, ardor, simplicity, inquiry.
Many of Miss Moore’s essays in verse are about the poet and the art of poetry. Her most famous, and her most overt statement about content, is found in the earlier, fuller version “Poetry.” Miss Moore’s poems also discuss style. Her own emphasis on compactness is explained in “To a Snail.” In “The Labors of Hercules” she speaks to critics of content and style. It is her straightforwardness “like electricity” which controls her metrical individuality.
The strikingly individualistic form of Miss Moore’s verse is neither free verse nor accented rhythms. Her model is French: words are neither accented nor emphasized; neither do they metrically rhyme. Instead, the pattern of syllables per line in each stanza is repeated in the next stanza. This unusual quality and brilliance contribute to the total effect of the previously cited poems.
The conversational effect of unaccented syllabication is consistent with Miss Moore’s advice in “Silence,” in which she declares that the deepest emotions are always revealed in silence and restraint. The reason for the restraint is given in “The Student,” who sometimes appears untouched, not because he is lacking in feeling but because he feels too intensely. The formality of Miss Moore’s rigid, yet perfectly controlled, mechanics is indeed formidable until the magic of her tone, some implication of the heart, rescues us. Miss Moore never separates intelligence from emotion and sensitivity.
It is her love in her observations that makes her poems which are so carefully constructed and controlled, so modern and experimental, also so individualistic. While critics and poets are won by her mechanical perfections, by her perceptive wit and intelligence, the public appreciates poetry which dismisses the trivial and talks about important things like real animals, birds, snakes, snails, and toads. Her ability to delight, to record with sensitive perception and appreciation the things of this world, and to convince us of its reality provide the reasons for Miss Moore’s popularity and literary reputation among both scholars and general readers. It is just these qualities which make her an individualistic and enchanting part of the American literary tradition.
Bibliography
Costello, Bonnie. Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1981.
Hadas, Pamela White. Marianne Moore: Poet of Affection. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1977.
Joyce, Elisabeth W. Cultural Critique and Abstraction: Marianne Moore and the Avant-Garde. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell University Press, 1998.
Miller, Christine. Marianne Moore: Questions of Authority. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995.
Molesworth, Charles. Marianne Moore: A Literary Life. New York: Atheneum, 1990.
Stamy, Cynthia. Marianne Moore and China: Orientalism and a Writing of America. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Stapleton, Laurence. Marianne Moore: The Poet’s Advance. 1978. Reprint. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1999.
Tomlinson, Charles, ed. Marianne Moore: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1969.
Willis, Patricia C., ed. Marianne Moore. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1999.