Part II, Section III, Guide, Italy, Aeschylus and ..., Monumental, Section IV, The History of Philosophy is ...? Summary and Analysis

"Guide" is simply a series of observations Pound makes about the thoughts and productions of various painters throughout modern history. The purpose of the "Guide" is to walk the uneducated quickly through a range of different artists, explaining them with choice, short stretches of prose. Most of the focus is on French intellectuals and their art. "Italy" is a single page, which argues that a vast civilization is contained within a few hundred Italian writers.

In "Aeschylus and ..." Pound discusses the triumph of meaning over detail in culture. For instance, many great Greek Tragedies carry meaning in the original language but attention to detailed translation makes them boring. Pound then covers...