Williams'Experimentation'

Reciprocity!of!prose!and!verse!

For!Williams,!both!prose!and!verse!were!interesting!devices!for!communication!in!the!

modernist!period.!He!sought!to!mix!both!poetry!and!prose!which!he!did!in!his!five-book!novel!

Patterson)(1943-!1958).)Although,!the!experiments!with!both!forms!could!be!seen!in!previous!

works!(!Spring)and)All,)Kora)in)Hel:)Improvisations…).)

Translation!

William!Carlos!Williams!was!determined!to!create!a!new!American!poetry!style!so!he!focused!

along!his!career!on!the!innovation!of!the!structure!and!measure!of!the!verse,!which!are!

explained!in!his!essay!!The)Poem)as)a)field)of)Action.)

In!1910,!He!experimented!by!translating!!poetry,!advised!by!Ezra!pound,!which!influenced!

most!of!his!work.!He!started!with!Spanish!and!French,!as!he!grew!up!surrounded!by!those!

languages.!His!first!poems!collected!in!his!first!book!of!poems!were!considered!bad,!until!in!

1950,!when!turned!into!the!translation!of!Chinese!poetry!with!the!help!of!a!poem!translator!

from!China.!Due!to!this,!Williams’!poems!had!an!influence!from!the!Chinese!poetry!and!its!

techniques,!and!introduced!it!to!the!American!poetry!world!of!the!time.!

Subject!

At!first,!he!was!one!of!the!principal!poets!of!the!Imagist!movement!(like!Pound)!but!as!time!

went!on,!he!began!to!disagree!with!values!of!the!works!of!Pound!and!Eliot,!as!he!felt!that!they!

were!closely!attached!to!the!European!culture!and!traditions.!For!this!reason,!he!continued!

experimenting!with!new!techniques!of!meter!and!lineation,!trying!to!create!a!brand!new!!and!

American!subject!of!matter,!that!was!centered!on!the!everyday!circumstances!of!life!and!the!

lives!of!the!common!people.!Because!of!this!his!poems!are!usually!full!of!everyday!terms!and!

simple!stylistic!forms!which!makes!his!poetry!full!of!emotion!and!empathy,!in!a!very!realist!

form,!which!makes!Williams!a!realist!poet!.!

“Variable!foot”!or!Triadic!line!

In!his!experimentation!with!meter!and!lineation!in!order!to!invent!a!new!and!American!poetic,!

Williams!developed!the!called!“variable!foot”!or!triadic-!line!which!consists!on!the!idea!that!

each!line!corresponds!to!one!single!breath!unit,!so!each!of!the!staggered!lines!of!the!stanza!

should!be!thought!as!one!foot.!Unlike!cadence,!the!length!of!the!line!corresponds!to!a!colon,!

so!it!is!an!isocolic!rhythmical!pattern.!This!was!developed!in!1940!and!can!be!seen!in!his!works!)

The)Desert)Music)(1954)!and)Journey)to)Love)(1955).!This!“variable!foot”!or!Triadic!line!was!the!

solution!to!the!!problem!of!modern!verse!for!Williams!and!later!was!used!by!poets!such!as!

Charles!Tomlinson,!Charles!Olson!and!Thom!Gunn!among!others.!

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Williams Experimentation

Reciprocity of prose and verse For Williams, both prose and verse were interesting devices for communication in the modernist period. He sought to mix both poetry and prose which he did in his five-book novel Patterson (1943- 1958). Although, the experiments with both forms could be seen in previous works ( Spring and All, Kora in Hel: Improvisations…). Translation William Carlos Williams was determined to create a new American poetry style so he focused along his career on the innovation of the structure and measure of the verse, which are explained in his essay The Poem as a field of Action. In 1910, He experimented by translating poetry, advised by Ezra pound, which influenced most of his work. He started with Spanish and French, as he grew up surrounded by those languages. His first poems collected in his first book of poems were considered bad, until in 1950, when turned into the translation of Chinese poetry with the help of a poem translator from China. Due to this, Williams’ poems had an influence from the Chinese poetry and its techniques, and introduced it to the American poetry world of the time. Subject At first, he was one of the principal poets of the Imagist movement (like Pound) but as time went on, he began to disagree with values of the works of Pound and Eliot, as he felt that they were closely attached to the European culture and traditions. For this reason, he continued experimenting with new techniques of meter and lineation, trying to create a brand new and American subject of matter, that was centered on the everyday circumstances of life and the lives of the common people. Because of this his poems are usually full of everyday terms and simple stylistic forms which makes his poetry full of emotion and empathy, in a very realist form, which makes Williams a realist poet. “Variable foot” or Triadic line In his experimentation with meter and lineation in order to invent a new and American poetic, Williams developed the called “variable foot” or triadic- line which consists on the idea that each line corresponds to one single breath unit, so each of the staggered lines of the stanza should be thought as one foot. Unlike cadence, the length of the line corresponds to a colon, so it is an isocolic rhythmical pattern. This was developed in 1940 and can be seen in his works The Desert Music (1954) and Journey to Love (1955). This “variable foot” or Triadic line was the solution to the problem of modern verse for Williams and later was used by poets such as Charles Tomlinson, Charles Olson and Thom Gunn among others.

Williams Main Works

Poetry:

Poems (1909)
The Tempers (1913)
Al Que Quiere! (1917)
Kora in Hell: Improvisations (1920)
Spring And All (1923) Prose:
Kora in Hell (1920)
The Great American Novel (1923)
Paterson (1943-1958)
Autobiography ( 1951; 1967)

Exam Questions

Libertad! Igualdad! Fraternidad!

You sullen pig of a man you force me into the mud with your stinking ash-cart! Brother! —if we were rich we’d stick our chests out and hold our heads high! It is dreams that have destroyed us. There is no more pride in horses or in rein holding. We sit hunched together brooding our fate. Well— all things turn bitter in the end whether you choose the right or the left way and— dreams are not a bad thing.

William Carlos Williams: Experimentation with Prose and Verse, Apuntes de Poesía

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