Stone Cottage: Pound, Yeats, and Modernism

by James Longenbach

Although readers of modern literature have always known about the collaboration of W.B. Yeats and Ezra Pound, the crucial winters these poets spent living together in Stone Cottage in Sussex (1913-1916) have remained a mystery. Working from a large base of previously unpublished material, James Longenbach presents for the first time the untold story of these three winters. Inside the secret world of Stone Cottage, Pound's Imagist poems were inextricably linked to Yeats's studies in spiritualism and magic, and early drafts of The Cantos reveal that the poem began in response to the same esoteric texts that shaped Yeats's visionary system. At the same time, Yeats's autobiographies and Noh-style plays took shape with Pound's assistance. Having retreated to Sussex to escape the flurry of wartime London, both poets tracked the progress of the Great War and in response wrote poems--some unpublished until now--that directly address the poet's political function. More than the story
of a literary friendship, Stone Cottage explores the Pound-Yeats connection within the larger context of modern literature and culture, illuminating work that ranks with the greatest achievements of modernism.

Genres: Poetry, Biography

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

James Longenbach is a poet and critic whose work is often featured in publications such as The New Yorker, Paris Review, and Slate. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Reviews

[Leyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Ezra Pound before taking a course on Modern American Poetry, just his name. Then, doing some research in the library, I found this amazing book. It really surprised me, because it is not exactly a biography, but something similar. The account of the three winters that Pound spent with Yeats immediately drew my attention; in fact, I was kind of jealous. Who would not like to spent time with his favourite poet, learning from him but also he learning from you! The book mostly deal with the development of Pound and Yeats during those three years, their mutual influences and how they changed; and therefore, how their later work had a different impact in the world from the one that could have been expected. It is a book about the transformation of two poets, and not a fictional one but a very real one, that can be verified reading their poetry.
A very special view of a poet and his work, indeed.

Desgraciadamente, creo que no hay ninguna edición en español de este libro.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a look at the three winters that Pound and Yeats spent together - the books they studied, the plays and poems they wrote. It tackles the idea that Pound edited Yeats into a Modernist, and says that actually there is more proof that Yeats influenced Pound. It's an interesting read. Includes some otherwise unpublished poem drafts and letters. I think the most interesting chapter is the one that dealt with the war.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this is a bizarre book. Longenbach is really something.
His research is formidable (unpublished letters and papers plus everything else) and his insights and interpretations only add to the already bizarre facts. I've done a little blurb on this book on my blog www.beverlyajackson.com.