Introduction & Overview of The Milkfish Gatherers by James Fenton

The Milkfish Gatherers Introduction

"The Milkfish Gatherers" appears in Fenton's 1994 collection Out of Danger. The poem is an example of New Formalism or poetry that has returned to the roots of more traditional English verse forms. Fenton, a British poet, takes W. H. Auden as a mentor for form but moves his own verse further into the realm of the social and political world. "The Milkfish Gatherers" is a more recent work, coming late in the poet's career. The poem makes use of Fenton's geographical wanderings and comments on the political and social history of the Philippines. On a metaphorical level, the poem is also a commentary on the state of contemporary poetry.

"The Milkfish Gatherers" tells the story of fishermen in Manila during the Philippines' century-long fight for political independence, which began when the country was ruled by Spain in the 1800s and continues to this day. The poem is about...
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