The Following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Stevens, Wallace. “The Emperor of Ice-Cream by Wallace Stevens.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45234/the- emperor-of-ice-cream.

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem which the quotations are taken.

“The Emperor of Ice-Cream” is a 1923 poem by Wallace Stevens composed in two equal-length stanzas of eight lines each. Stevens wrote “The Emperor of Ice-Cream” during the middle of the modernist literary movement. Modernism is characterized by a rejection of traditional poetic forms, subject matter, concepts, and style. As such, modernist poets were known for experimenting with more broad and open-ended themes while also privileging images and sounds over a cohesive poetic argument. “The Emperor of Ice-Cream” expresses these modernist tenets by using concrete images that allow the reader to interpret the experience of a person’s death and the feelings that surround it. The poem also follows the modernist trend of expressing multiple themes without providing clearcut support for one over another.

While uncertain in tone, the poem presents a clear scenario of preparing for the wake of an older woman. The dual stanzas represent a juxtaposition between the illusionary nature of rituals and the realities of death.