James Wright (poet) Summary

Biography EssayOften remembered as one of the strongest of post-World War II American poets, James Wright was one of a group of young writers who, after establishing themselves with early books of pro... Read more

Often remembered as one of the strongest of post-World War II American poets, James Wright was one of a group of young writers who, after establishing themselves with early books of prosodically conse... Read more

In the following essay, first published in 1957, Palmer reviews Wright's first collection of poetry and characterizes him as a “mature and accomplished poet.” From its occasion... Read more

In the following essay, Hoffman finds in Wright's attention to defeated people in his poetry the answer to the poet's questions: “What is good and humane action, and why perform i... Read more

In the following excerpt, Hartman, while maintaining Wright's hold on his poetic talent, judges The Branch Will Not Break to be only a sketch book, and the free verse poems in it to be “... Read more

In the following interview, which took place in 1970, Wright discusses some origins of his poetry, his evolving poetic style, his relationship to other poets, and his sense of the world around him. ... Read more

In the following essay, Matthews argues against the accepted critical judgement that Wright's early, metrically formal poetry is more skillful than his later free verse. By now most everyone... Read more

In the following essay, Kalaidjian discusses the importance of water and river imagery in Wright's poetry. At first glance, the movement of James Wright's career away from the initial... Read more

In the following essay, Lense argues that Wright perceives the spirit of “the other world,” whether pastoral or painful, embedded in the common elements of this one. James Wright is n... Read more

In the following essay, Mazzaro traces the aesthetic and ethical development of Wright's poetry. When James Wright came on the literary scene in the mid-fifties, he possessed what few other ... Read more

In the following essay, Stiffler argues that Wright's main goal in his poetry was to reconcile “the possibility of epiphany with the reality of despair.” I In 1958, James Wrigh... Read more

In the following essay, Scott explores Wright's lyricism, especially in the late prose poems. Above the River, which collects all of James Wright's poetry, coming as it does more than... Read more

In the following essay, Yatchisin shows how Wright's study of Walt Whitman's poetry contributed to the development of his own. James Wright's essay, “The Delicacy of Wal... Read more

In the following essay, Pink discusses “A Blessing,” focusing on the significance of boundaries in the poem, and on the instances of transgressing them. “A Blessing” is ... Read more

In the following essay, Davis argues that Wright transcends the geographical places he writes about in his poetry by transforming them into metaphorical images. In her essay, “Places in Fict... Read more

In the following essay, Cooper analyzes the significance of line length in Wright's “On a Phrase from Southern Ohio.” Poets and critics disagree about the role of the line in f... Read more

Critical Essay by Cor Van Den Heuvel There is a universality in Wright's work not only in subject matter but in form and technique as well. He is a classicist in the broad sense of the word. A... Read more

Critical Essay by Hugh Kenner James Wright, of Ohio, has been to Vienna, to Verona, to Sirmio, never forgetting Ohio, which sounds as sweet as any of them. Of Verona's Adige he writes, �... Read more

Critical Essay by W. H. Auden One of the problems for a poet living in a culture with a well-developed technology is that the history of technology is one of perpetual revolution, whereas genuine rev... Read more

Critical Essay by Crunk [pseudonym of Robert Bly] Despite [the faults of his poetry], it is clear James Wright is an amazingly good poet. His lines are not stiff like sticks, but flexible like a livi... Read more

Critical Essay by William S. Saunders Wright's The Branch Will Not Break (1963) came out a year after [Robert Bly's] Silence in the Snowy Fields and resembles it too much for critical c... Read more

Critical Essay by Jascha Kessler I think it is fair to suggest that a poem like [the title poem of his collection This Journey] speaks of Wright's understanding of his situation, which is the ... Read more

Critical Essay by William Harmon [Although James Wright] was an extraordinarily sophisticated and erudite poet, he kept plenty of room in his heart for the humble virtues. A concordance will show tha... Read more