SOURCE: "The Range of Symbolism in Poetry," in The South Atlantic Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 3, July, 1949, pp. 442-51.

In the following excerpt, Carlson discusses Lowell's varied use of symbolism in her poetry.

Taken as a whole, Amy Lowell's verse represents the rich and significant variety of symbolism in modern poetry. In some, especially the early derivative pieces like "Before the Altar" and "Fool o' the Moon," the symbols are conventional and allegorical; the same is true of the short symbolical tales like "The Fool Errant," "On the Mantelpiece," "The Shadow," and "The Way." More frequently, however, conventional and creative symbols are interwoven, as in "In a Time of Dearth," where sand, caravan, Arab horses, and mirage suggest lack of inspiration, romantic splendor, free abandon, and illusion respectively; and the matches and newspapers signify artifical stimulation and the attempt to shut out the fact that the creative springs have dried...