The Inverted Bell: Modernism and the Counterpoetics of William Carlos Williams

by Joseph N. Riddel

Book by Riddel, Joseph N.

308 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1991

Reviews

[Kevin Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1974 (the cusp of the arrival of the 'Deconstruction Movement'), "The Inverted Bell: Modernism and the Counterpoetics of William Carlos Williams" by Joseph N. Riddel is the finest introduction to both the poetry (generally of "Paterson" but also including works such as "Asphodel" and other, more minor works) of William Carlos Williams and the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of Deconstruction, including the ideas of Martin Heidegger and Jacques Derrida. The author attempts, in this book, to link the larger poem of "Paterson" to the ideas of what were, at the time, the avante garde of continental philosophy. And the effort is, to the eyes and ears of this reader, a grandly successful one, for the two 'strands' of the book interweave and support each other almost perfectly. Together with the author we explore the concepts of the 'autotelic' poem in the work of grand modernist T.S. Eliot; the idea of the lack of center at the heart of the metaphysics of the modern period; and the need for post-modern poets, and the author proves beyond a doubt that Williams deserves this sobriquet, to find meaning in the 'free play' that needs replace the false signifiers of 'ousia,' 'essence,' 'God,' and other false signifiers which have been banned from the post-modern moment. The author, however, constantly and consistently pairs these philosophical erudition with the poem "Paterson" itself, creating a perfect concatenation for the reader. The poem, which explores the ideas of violence which is at the center of the creative endeavor, and which links this to the conflict between 'physis' and 'logos,' and of the father and son ("Pater"-son), is the masterpiece that serves as the 'moment' of the book. We learn of the details of this complex, polyvalent work and become enamored of the skills and vision of the poet. As befits a poet and work who views writing as a 'marriage,' this book itself is the perfect pairing of ideas and things, which too is a subject of William's gaze and thought. This is a truly fine book!