William Morris Meredith, Jr. Summary

William Meredith was born in New York City. He received his B.A. (magna cum laude) from Princeton University in 1940 and maintained close association with that institution for some years, as a Woodrow... Read more

Critical Essay by Peter Meinke Moving gracefully with the years, William Meredith's poetry has modified its former formal elegance to a point where it can absorb casual conversation; observatio... Read more

Critical Essay by Richard Howard So skillful in his mild modernism …, so various in his errant annotations is Meredith [in Hazard, the Painter] that we do not know, even at the end, what hit us... Read more

Critical Essay by Henry Taylor The Wreck of the Thresher, published in 1964, was the book which most firmly established the nature and strength of William Meredith's poetry. It seems now Ȃ... Read more

Critical Essay by Richard Howard Meredith's declension of order and delight as versions of the good … is the generating trope of his own poetry, its idiopathy or primary affection. In hi... Read more

Critical Essay by Paul Breslin The distinctive quality of William Meredith's "The Cheer" is its precision of statement, achieved for the most part without falling into aridity and... Read more

In the following essay, Ludwig offers a thematic and stylistic overview of Meredith's poetry. In his third and most recent volume of verse, William Meredith devotes a deft villanelle called &#x... Read more

In the following essay, Brinnin provides a positive assessment of Hazard, The Painter. Unlike most collections of poems, this one has a named hero and an overt subject. The hero is an aging liberal, a... Read more

In the following excerpt, Rotella traces the thematic development of Meredith's verse. Theme, Technique, and Development William Meredith's major theme involves the efforts of imaginatio... Read more

In the following essay, Taylor surveys the defining qualities of Meredith's poetry. The Wreck of the Thresher, published in 1964, was the book that most firmly established the nature and streng... Read more