Edgar Lee Master

Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology : 

Edgar Lee Masters Spoon River Anthology

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The poems are remarkable for the breadth of personalities and the honesty with which they speak.  All the poems were written in free verse, which puts them outside the scope of this "formalist" anthology.

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Born at Garnett, Kansas on Aug 23, 1868 Son of Hardin W. Masters and Emma Dexter Early childhood near Petersburg, Illinois Moved to Lewistown, Fulton Co., Illinois at age 12 Poet and author Spent adult life primarily in Chicago, Illinois Died in 1950, buried in Oakland Cemetery, Petersburg, Menard Co., Illinois

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inspiration Greek Epigrams (antologia palatina) plan Write about the inhabitants of a small country as to turn their life in a sort of “epic representation of modern life” result 1915, Edgar Lee Masters published The Spoon River Anthology, a book of 244 poems spoken by the deceased residents of Spoon River (a rural area in Illinois) from their graves on "the hill".  The book created a stir because many of the supposedly fictional speakers were recognizable as real people inspiration 1° person monologues. Features:brevity, irony, objectivity

Spoon river : 

Spoon river

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Of course what made Spoon River Anthology immediately popular was the shock of recognition. Here for the first time in America was the whole of a society which people recognized - not only that part of it reflected in writers of the genteel tradition. Like Chaucer's pilgrims, the 244 characters who speak their epitaphs represent almost every walk of life. The variety is far too great for even a partial list. There are scoundrels, idealists, scientists, politicians, village doctors, atheists and believers, frustrated women and fulfilled women.  Spoon River is a community, a microcosm, not a collection of individuals.

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themes Themes Hypocrisy of social conventions Frustrated aspirations Ironic contrast between reputation and reality Remembrance of the civil war and of an epic contrast far superior to the corrupt present Love in all its espressions with its expectations and disappointments Search for success and fear of failure Rebellion and dissatisfaction Futility of life One common theme; the role played by time and memory,i.e.the reality described is filtered through memory In accordance with this The prologue ,The hill evokes the rithm of a ballad of the time passed by

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Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter? All, all are sleeping on the hill. One passed in a fever, One was burned in a mine, One was killed in a brawl, One died in a jail, One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith, The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?-- All, all are sleeping on the hill. One died in shameful child-birth, One of a thwarted love, One at the hands of a brute in a brothel, One of a broken pride, in the search for heart's desire; One after life in far-away London and Paris Was brought to her little space by Ella and Kate and Mag-- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily, And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton, And Major Walker who had talked With venerable men of the revolution?-- All, all are sleeping on the hill. They brought them dead sons from the war, And daughters whom life had crushed, And their children fatherless, crying-- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where is Old Fiddler Jones Who played with life all his ninety years, Braving the sleet with bared breast, Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin, Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven? Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago, Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove, Of what Abe Lincoln said One time at Springfield. The Hill

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Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter? All, all are sleeping on the hill. One passed in a fever, One was burned in a mine, One was killed in a brawl, One died in a jail, One fell from a bridge toiling for children and wife- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where are Ella, Kate, Mag, Lizzie and Edith, The tender heart, the simple soul, the loud, the proud, the happy one?-- All, all are sleeping on the hill. One died in shameful child-birth, One of a thwarted love, One at the hands of a brute in a brothel, One of a broken pride, in the search for heart's desire; One after life in far-away London and Paris Was brought to her little space by Ella and Kate and Mag-- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where are Uncle Isaac and Aunt Emily, And old Towny Kincaid and Sevigne Houghton, And Major Walker who had talked With venerable men of the revolution?-- All, all are sleeping on the hill. They brought them dead sons from the war, And daughters whom life had crushed, And their children fatherless, crying-- All, all are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on the hill. Where is Old Fiddler Jones Who played with life all his ninety years, Braving the sleet with bared breast, Drinking, rioting, thinking neither of wife nor kin, Nor gold, nor love, nor heaven? Lo! he babbles of the fish-frys of long ago, Of the horse-races of long ago at Clary's Grove, Of what Abe Lincoln said One time at Springfield. The Hill

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André. Nel 1971 Fabrizio De André pubblicò l'album "Non al denaro, non all'amore nè al cielo", liberamente tratto dall'Antologia di Spoon River. De André scelse nove delle 244 poesie e le trasformò in altrettante canzoni. Le nove poesie scelte toccano fondamentalmente due grandi temi: l'invidia (Un matto, Un giudice, Un blasfemo, Un malato di cuore) e la scienza (Un medico, Un chimico, Un ottico).Mentre nelle poesie originali di Edgar Lee Masters ogni personaggio ha un nome e un cognome, i titoli delle canzoni di De André sono generici (un giudice, un medico) per sottolineare che le storie di questi personaggi sono esempi di comportamenti umani che si possono ritrovare in ogni epoca e in ogni luogo. Il suonatore Jones, il personaggio con cui l'album si chiude, invece è unico, rappresenta l'alternativa alla vita vista come lotta per raggiungere i propri scopi. Per tutta la sua lunga vita il suonatore Jones ha fatto quello che più gli è piaciuto e per questo muore senza rimpianti.Un aspetto fondamentale dell'Antologia di Spoon River sono i legami tra i vari personaggi. Ognuno di questi cita molti altri e così è possibile vedere la stessa storia da punti di vista diversi.Questo aspetto si perde nell'album di De André.

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Master’s originality In the dismission of any idyllic of rural community nor in the form nor in the content He gave outlet to his own indignation about the hypocrisy, the perverteted puritanism, the respectability, The hidden sexual transgressions, perversions and tragedies that the previous writers had ignored He conveyed a message of love and faith, faith in the simple and humble souls , who, in the end,succed in triumphing over life

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. Edmund Pollard

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Vorrei aver immerso le mie mani di carne  Nei dischi dei fiori invasi dalle api,  Nello specchiante cuore di fuoco  Della luce della vita, il sole della gioia.  A che servono antere o petali  O raggi di aureole? Beffe, ombre  Del cuore del fiore, la fiamma centrale!  Tutto è tuo, giovane che passi;  Entra nella stanza del banchetto consapevolmente;  Non entrare timidamente come se tu fossi dubbioso  Di essere il benvenuto - la festa è tua!  Non prendere solo un poco, rifiutandone ancora  Con un timido “Grazie”, quando hai fame.  E' viva la tua anima? Allora che possa nutrirsi!  Non lasciare balconi che tu non abbia scalato;  Nè biancolattei seni sui quali riposare;  Nè teste bionde con cui dividere il guanciale;  Nè coppe di vino quando il vino è dolce;  Nè estasi del corpo o dell'anima,  Tu morirai, non c'è dubbio, ma morirai vivendo In profondità azzurre, rapito nell'amplesso Baciando l'ape regina, la Vita

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I wish you the best of everything and thank you for having met all of you. with love Mary Doria