Antitraditional Elements in the Poetry of William Carlos Williams

Contents: Preface. Acknowledgement. Introduction. 1. Destruction of knowledge: a study of the 20th century American Literary culture. 2. The structured quicksilver of Williams\' poetry: experiment with style and technique. 3. Poetry in its sources, body, soul and form: Williams\' quest for form. 4. Williams\' antitraditionalism: a study of his poetry. 5. Growth and change: a study of Williams\' Paterson. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

"The book aims at highlighting the themes and techniques adopted by William Carlos Williams in his major poetic works with particular reference to the poet\'s high regard for heterogeneity, classlessness, democracy, , individuality, autonomy and the pragmatic solving of life\'s real problems which form the basis of antitraditionalism in his poetry. It focuses on Williams\' anti-traditionalism\': the destruction of the then and elsewhere of tradition in the interest of the here and now; and the destruction of consistency, rationality and certainty in the interest of heterogeneity, possibility and empathy. It shows that Williams\' concern is les to make his own life the subject of his poetry than to adopt the part of being a dispassionate and sharp eyed witness to the times; he no longer seems to be living almost entirely within the world of his own memory. He describes things and events for themselves, and his own reasons for choosing to describe those things and his own opinions about their importance - all questions the reader must face after a preliminary reading of the poems are implied rather than stated." (jacket)