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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper which examines the writing abilities of the unorthodox American poet, and how his use of prosody in such works as “The Fire Screen,” “Braving the Elements,” “Scripts for the Pageant,” “The Book of Ephraim” and “Mirabell: Book of Numbers,” along with his companion, David Jackson, helped him garner much acclaim and earn numerous literary awards. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGmerril.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Prosody is a deeply personal poetic form that enables the poet to interact with the reader, through the conversational language which imitate different voices that represent different emotions and beliefs
(Prosody on the Web). Prosody is a distinctive literary art form that emphasizes the lyrical quality of poetry (Prosody on the Web). Words are carefully selected so that
they can evoke feelings through modulation, questions or raw intensity (Prosody on the Web). James Merrill was an individual in life and in art. His poems, which often
resembled the classical epic in terms of length and rigid structure, were also indicative of modernist prose that, while perhaps not confessional, were highly autobiographical (Hamilton 352). Merrill understood
that poetry required traditional structuring, but possibly his most impressive writing ability is in his affinity for language, for as one critic remarked, "His work is full of puns, extravagant
word-games, mythical allusions, intricate metres, and complex rhyme-schemes" (Hamilton 352). Merrills lyric knowledge and mastery of prosody is evident in his poetic compilation, The Fire Screen, published in 1970.
It is loosely structured, and described by The New York Times reviewer Daniel Hoffman as utilizing "minimal forms-the loose couplet, ballad meters, blank verse" (Traveler With a Trunk of Poetic
Devices). It begins with the poem, "The Friend of the Fourth Decade," which is framed in couplets, but the rigidity is broken up by the humorous observations of a
narrator, who describes saving stamps for a long-time friend: "I never used to throw anything out. Each card then soaks five minutes while its ink Turns to exactly the slow
formal swirls Through which the phoenix flies on Chinese silk. These leave the water darker but still clear, The text unreadable. Its true! Cards from my mother, great-uncle, you!
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