Section 2 Summary and Analysis

Letter 2 - "Viareggio, near Pisa (Italy), April 5, 1903" This first short letter from Viareggio begins with an apology from Rilke for not having written back to The Young Poet sooner. Rilke explains he has been ill and has traveled to Italy, where he previously recovered from another illness, in order to hasten his recuperation. He then offers two pieces of advice. The first is to avoid over-use of irony in writing, suggesting it can become too easily and too frequently employed. Once the Young Poet digs deeply into himself for an understanding of the essence of things, irony will, for the most part, disappear. Rilke then suggests the Young Poet keep two works of literature by his side, readily available for reference. The first is the Bible, and the second is the work of writer Jens Peter Jacobsen, which Rilke suggests is...