21 MOST INFLUENTIAL AUTHORS By Lindsey Piller
The First draft of anything is always shit. /A real failure does not need an excuse. It is and end in itself. it’s no joke out here. / Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a di / A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard words./ My d of their reality. / Cut out all of these exclamation points. An exclamatio society. / The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most true. / Neither is a dictionary a bad book to read. There is not of possible poems and histories. / The reason a writer writes a it. / This world is but a canvas to our imagination. / of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace. / You can’t d who drink beer will think beer. / Many receive advice, only the w is commonly called an amusing book of travels. Any one who will tell not fail to carry the reader with him; for the interest we all feel in personal and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. / Easy readi never realize what a burden is was or what freedom really is. / The good wr thread of the Universe which runs through himself and all things. / what kind of sale or reception a book will have, and advertising seems
Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. / You’ve really got to start hitting the books because ictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. dear, I don’t give a damn. / Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror on point is like laughing at your own joke. / Battles, unlike bargains, are rarely discussed in important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not can’t in it, no excess of explanation, and it is full of suggestions, the raw material a book is to forget a book and the reason a reader reads one is to remember In writing, you must kill all your darlings. The art of art, the glory is simplicity. / Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus./ They wise profit from it. / It is not a very difficult task to make what l, with a reasonable degree of graphic effect, what he has seen, will adventure is, of itself, success. / Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple ing is damn hard writing. / Until you have lost your reputation, you riter seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on that Publishing is a very mysterious business. It is hard to predict to do very little good. There is no rule on how to write. /
21 MOST INFLUENTIAL AUTHORS By Lindsey Piller
New York, NY ©2016
chapter 1: Washington Irving
10
chapter 2: James Fenimore Cooper
16
chapter 3: Nathaniel Hawthorne
22
chapter 11: Gertrude Stein
70
chapter 4: Ralph Waldo Emerson
28
chapter 12: T.S. Eliot
76
chapter 5: Edgar Allan Poe
34
chapter 13: Eugene O’Neil
82
chapter 6: Henry David Thoreau
40
chapter 14: F. Scott Fitzgerald
88
chapter 7: Walt Whitman
46
chapter 15: William Faulkner
94
chapter 8: Herman Melville
52
chapter 16: Ernest Hemingway
100
chapter 9: Emily Dickinson
58
chapter 17: Thomas Wolfe
106
chapter 10: Mark Twain
64
chapter 18: Margaret Mitchell
112
chapter 19: John Steinbeck
118
chapter 20: J.D. Salinger
124
chapter 21: Harper Lee
130 9
10
{
chapter 1
}
Irving’s stature as a major figure in American literature is primarily based on his ingenious short stories, specifically The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. The 19th century American author helped form the American Gothic genre, making way for other authors like Hawthorne, Poe, and Melville. The ambiguity of all of his short stories is one of many aspects of the American Gothic genre. However, it is the theme of rational versus irrational that truly capture the essence of the particular genre. Irving finds himself on this list for his profound literary work that has stood the test of time. Something about his work has enthralled many readers for years. Many are still baffled by the ambiguous endings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Irving’s work defied literary conventions of the time, which made his work contemporary. By using his imagination and defying the conventions of the 19th century Irving was able to craft lasting short stories that still enrapture readers today.
11
An
instant classic of the nineteenth
century, Washington Irving’s long lasting short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow still continues to enrapture literary critics and readers alike. In a time where imagination and fictitious writing was frowned upon, Irving was able to capture the whimsical town of Sleepy Hollow while partially dismissing the literary conventions of the time.
He captured the status of the time as a cultural myth with the ambiguous nature of the horseman. Playing with the theme of rational versus irrational, Irving’s short story helped birth the American Gothic genre, making way for other authors of the time like Hawthorne, Poe, and Melville. Out of all the aspects of the short story it is its ambiguous ending and supernatural elements that make it so popular with its audience. In fact Smith mentions this in his scholarly article writing, “specifically at the ambiguity which surround the question of whether he is or is not a real supernatural being, provides insight into a little explored but very compelling possible reason for the continued popular appeal of Irving’s ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,’ which, like his ‘Rip Van Winkle,’ has transcended its status as American short-story to become a part of our cultural mythology” (Smith 174-76). It is still unknown whether the Headless Horseman is a real supernatural entity or if Brom Bones, a skilled horsemen, pretended to be the Headless Horseman in order to scare Ichabod, his main competition for Katrina’s hand in marriage, out of Sleepy Hollow. Irving hints at the idea of Brom disguising himself as the horseman within the short story, which is the conventional reading of the story (Smith 175). By doing so, Irving captures the reader’s attention and leaves an open-ended conclusion for the reader to ponder over. The possibility of the Headless Horseman actually being a ghost lurks provocatively in the mind, but the conventionality negates this idea leaving the readers vying for an answer. Smith even goes as far as saying, “It might be speculated that ‘Sleepy Hollow’ would not be half so satisfying if the headless horseman’s identity was irrefutably linked to that of Brom Bones at the end, thereby effectively negating the possibility of supernatural happenings within the narrative” (Smith 177). With this in mind, what is the purpose of the Headless Horseman within the tale that Irving created? Ichabod, the main protagonist of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is immersed in the mystic arts and supernatural. He constantly carries around Cotton Mather’s History of New England Witchcraft and refers to the book repeatedly. The
12
whole tale revolves around Ichabod, so it is only natural to understand that “the purpose of his tale is to confirm the existence of the headless horseman in the presence of Ichabod” (Smith 177). Due to his fascination with the supernatural, Ichabod opens his mind to these supernatural beliefs, which is what undoes Ichabod in the end. Anderson observes an interesting element within the short story that has to do with the way in which Ichabod thinks and believes. Due to Ichabod’s obsession with Cotton Mather, he has in turn, opened his mind to unrealistic fantasies that he can no longer emit from his cognizance. Anderson states, “Ichabod has, in many ways, created securing mechanisms for his own mind, so that what enters becomes an entrapped band of misperceptions unable to find a more obvious way ‘out’” (Anderson 208). Therefore when Ichabod opened his mind to the supernatural he could not expel those preconceived perceptions from his thoughts and as Anderson so appropriately puts it, “As a captive of his own mental constructs, Ichabod is an easy mark for the ‘huge, misshapen, black and towering’ figure that looms above him at the bridge.” (Anderson 209), which in turn creates the foundation of the short story. With this realization it was obvious that the image I had to draw had to be ambiguous just like the ending of Irving’s short story. Yet, the issue at hand was finding the images that would portray the ambiguity without being too obvious. Similar to the Poe spread I had to question whether the
Headless Horseman should be incorporated within the spread. However, before coming to a conclusion on the Headless Horseman inclusion, I needed to determine the setting of the spread. After reading through the research and reviewing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I came to the conclusion I would have to draw the climatic scene within Irving’s tale. Bone describes the scene and setting simply in his scholarly article when he writes, “Ichabod’s encounter with the Headless Horseman is the dramatic climax of the story. The stage is set so carefully, however, that a close look at the backdrop is in order. Dominating the landscape is an enormous tulip tree known in the neighborhood as Major Andre’s tree” (Bone 173). This is what I started with in the thumbnail process. I wanted to get the setting just right and capture Irving’s climatic scene in image instead of words. Knowing that an enormous tulip tree was dominant in the scene, I knew I would have to sketch that aspect in the spread. However, I was not pleased with the image of a tulip tree. I took creative license with the spread and made the tree a bare dead tree. I made this particular decision because I wanted to capture that dark supernatural theme Irving produced in the short story. Even though The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is not necessarily dark, the supernatural aspect of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod’s fascination with witchcraft was dark for American literature at the time.
tale itself revolves around the figure and whether it is real or not, so the figure had to be depicted. With that issue solved the spread came together. The Headless Horseman dominates the left side of the spread surrounded by woods and a pathway leading out of Sleepy Hollow. The tulip tree, now a dead tree, dominates the other half of the spread. The main goal of the image was to capture the ambiguity that the ending has. I did this by not illustrating Ichabod so the viewer could interpret the image I created themself. Is Ichabod himself seeing the Headless Horseman or has he already fled Sleepy Hollow? Is the Horseman supernatural or is it Brom scaring away Ichabod? The possibilities are endless just like the ending that Irving created. Irving created a lasting short story in a time where imagination and fiction were frowned upon. He paved the way for other American Gothic writers and enraptured his readers with the tale of Ichabod and Sleepy Hollow. The ambiguity of the ending along with the supernatural elements Irving included is what makes this tale a durable one. As Smith had stated, “it is precisely this ambiguous aspect of ghost stories which would provide American imaginations with such fulfilling release” (Smith 177). Without these aspects of the short story Irving The Legend of Sleepy Hollow might not have made the impact that it had at the time.
Due to my change in direction the inclusion of the Headless Horseman was essential for the spread. The
As a captive of his own mental constructs, “ Ichabod is an easy mark for the huge, misshapen, black and towering figure that looms above him at the bridge.” - Donald Anderson 13
14
15
16
{
chapter 2
}
Cooper’s stature as a major figure in American literature is primarily based on his work The Last of the Mohicans. Cooper was able to critique a time in history while still telling a exciting story with a intriguing protagonist. Set during the French and Indian war, Mohican’s has an important cultural significance that other authors on the list did not necessarily capture. Focusing on race and its importance in our society, Cooper was able to craft a telling story of the elimination of a particular race and its affect it has. Although he has other popular works the main reason James Fenimore Cooper is on this list is because of The Last of the Mohicans. This particular piece is lasting and the cultural significance it has transcends time and remains current.
17
The Last of the Mohicans is one of
Cooper’s more famous works. It is a historical novel set during the French and Indian war. The tumultuous events that happen in the novel start when Natty Bumppo and a caravan of guards transport the two daughters of Colonel Munro to a safe destination. The Last of the Mohicans is Cooper’s bloodiest and action packed stories he has written. However, the main focus of the novel is on the dynamics between the different races.
Many different scholars have come to various different conclusions on Mohicans’ cultural significance. However, there are a good amount of observations about Cooper’s depiction of race within his novel. In his scholarly article Blakemore writes, “Cooper indulges in a sentimental farewell to the Indian beauty that cannot historically withstand the pressing reality and power of ‘sublime’ white civilization” (Blakemore 54), which is interesting due to Blakemore’s observation of the power of white civilization. Natty Bumppo, the main protagonist of the novel, is a mixture of both races, not genetically, but as a product. Mills put it simply noting, “Natty Bumppo, the white man, stands in between the red world—the wilderness—and the white world—civilization. He is indeed a product of both worlds and is as much a racial mixture, symbolically, as Cora is naturally” (Mills 444). What made Cooper focus on race? He could have easily written Mohicans and ignore race completely; only focusing on the action packed drama that took place. Yet, Cooper did not do this. He created dynamic dimension to the story using his characters as symbols to create a deeper more meaningful story. In the same article, Mills goes on to write, “it may be argued that Cooper presents a racial stereotype in these works that, in the mind of the reader, can lead eventually to racial delineation and to a false concept of superiority and inferiority of the races” (Mills 448). Based off the novel there was a fight for superiority, but did Cooper intentionally focus on race within to create a binary meaning? There is also some cultural significance in Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans. Due to the nature of his topic, Cooper was able to capture a moment in time within his fictitious work. The book’s ending reveals the death of a race, the Mohicans, and the impact the war has had. Blakemore goes into this idea by noting, “the cultural significance of Mohicans is that this too is a beautiful, deceptive illusion, for Cooper realizes that the red sublime has disappeared, destroyed or removed” (Blakemore 55). Cooper had made the realization that true
18
war going on had to do with race and unfortunately in the end the Indians, specifically Mohicans, had been destroyed by white civilization. Blakemore continues with the idea further into his article stating, “Cooper imaginatively considered a marriage of sublime and beautiful—in an amalgamation and reconciliation of the races—in the end the historical reality was too powerful for his beautiful fiction” (Blakemore 56). For Cooper to see that both races could not prevail and use that reality to create the amazing fiction piece he did is why he made it onto this list. Cooper’s critique on race and cultural significance in The Last of the Mohicans set his work apart from others. With this in mind, how was I going to capture Cooper’s story in one image? Drawing a miraculous fight scene between the different tribes and factions would not have done Cooper justice. The Last of the Mohicans was much more than just a battle. Cooper intentionally wrote about race almost as if he was critiquing the American culture. It was not until I read Newman’s scholarly article that I began to form my ideas. Newman touched on the scenery of the novel, he wrote, “communication across the supposed divide between Indians and whites is set in a landscape
conspicuously earmarked by the cataracts and by ‘high and cragged rocks…. Surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the brows of the precipice” (Newman 1). I could see the image forming: a vast wonderful landscape with waterfalls and cliffs all surrounded by trees and rocks; it all captured the landscape Cooper had set the story in. Yet, there was still the issue of representing the overarching theme of race within the novel. I couldn’t just depict all the characters, the tribes, and warring factions. The fact that there was so much division was troubling for the artistic portion. However, after rethinking, I decided to focus only on Natty Bumppo, the symbolic racial mixture of the novel. It was truly important to capture what Cooper had so wonderfully crafted in The Last of the Mohicans. Deciding to draw Natty Bumppo into the image was a turning point within the design. His importance in the book is undeniable and he justly serves as the racial mixture, combining wilderness—the Indians and civilization—the whites together. Philbrick focuses his attention on Natty Bumppo and his distinctions within his scholarly article stating things like, “Cooper represents Natty Bumppo in this novel as ‘the Christian man of nature,’ (Philbrick 25) or “He [Natty] is superbly competent and shrewd in the practice of warfare, possessing in abundance the practical skill and effectiveness that Gamut lacks” (Philbrick 39). These distinctions of Natty’s characterization create a compelling character. Natty himself becomes the middle ground of both races
and becomes an advocate of differences, trying to break the racial lines that divide white civilization from Indians. After the realization that Natty was the perfect depiction of both the races the image began to take form. I drew the cliffs and waterfalls surrounded by tree with Natty Bumppo looking out over the view. Not only was I able to capture the overall setting of the novel, but I was also able to capture what Cooper had created, specifically the dichotomy of races. Another important thing to note as well is the lack of Indians in the piece. This was intentional because of Cooper’s intentions within his novel. It was noted that the pressing reality of white civilization was the crushing moment for Indian civilization and the story was a farewell to their historical beauty. The Last of the Mohicans is, as Blakemore would put it, “ crucial text for the significance of culture and race in the nineteenth century” (Blakemore 57). Cooper wonderfully crafted multiple stories into one novel with an overarching theme on race. The use of characters as symbols of racial mixture made for dimensional characters that defined the novel as well. Written almost as a farewell to a races historical beauty, Cooper was able to tell a story, but critique white civilization as well. Considered a literary classic, Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans is a momentous novel bound with cultural significance.
Cooper imaginatively considered a marriage of sublime “ and beautiful—in an amalgamation and reconciliation of the races—in the end the historical reality was too powerful for his beautiful f iction.” - Steven Blakemore 19
20
21
22
{
chapter 3
}
Hawthorne’s stature as a major figure in American literature is based off his novel The Scarlet Letter. The 19th century American author created a timeless piece that has become part of the literary canon, which is studied extensively throughout school curriculum. The novel has stood the test of time even though it is a mere story about love and passion. However, Hawthorne flipped that clichÊ on its head by focusing on the consequences of Hester and Dimmesdale act of love. Hawthorne’s portrayal of the main protagonist Hester Prynne is what made the piece so contemporary as well. Without her radicalization the piece might not have stood the test of time and become a part of the literary canon. However, the novel prevailed and breaking molds and being contemporary for its time, which is why Hawthorne finds himself on this list.
23
In his own work, Hawthorne demonstrates a brilliant command of moral sensibility and passion as well as capturing the power of love. Known for his short stories like Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne joined the ranks of influential authors when he produced The Scarlet Letter during the nineteenth century. This book has become part of the literary canon, and understandably so. Hester Prynne’s defiance, as well as the book’s moral ambiguity creates tension throughout the story, renovating the theme of adultery and making it contemporary for its time by focusing on the consequences of love rather than the act.
There are many aspects of the novel The Scarlet Letter that can be discussed thoroughly, but there are certain facets within the novel that makes the piece contemporary. It has stood the test of time and has become a classic within the world of literature. However, the most predominant element would have to do with morality and the power of love. It is not difficult to comprehend what the novel is about as Tomc points out, “The Scarlet Letter itself, a tale, after all, of forbidden lust, of suppressed desire and promised release” (Tomc 466-67). Nevertheless, the subject of adultery was not the only facet of the novel that made it an instant classic. It is the mixture of attributes, specifically the plight with passion, morality, desire, and strong character representation that establishes The Scarlett Letter as influential. Hester Prynne is the most notable character within the novel. Hawthorne’s depiction of her was radical for the time and Kreger willingly points this out in her scholarly article when she writes, “it clearly breaks with the long critical tradition of lauding the ‘radical’ characterization of Hester Prynne and placing The Scarlet Letter on a canonical pedestal above other early-American works” (Kreger 309). Hester’s portrayal is a driving force within The Scarlet Letter, but it is the overall story of suppressed love and passion that truly sets Hawthorne’s story apart. Other works have also touched on themes of love and passion, but Hawthorne approaches the theme differently in his novel. Instead of focusing mainly on the romance, Hawthorne focuses on the consequences from the act of adultery. In the same article Kreger states, “American authors, however, shifted the narrative focus by placing the seduction early in the tale and then exploring its consequences” (Kreger 310). By doing so Hawthorne created a new dynamic with the theme of passion by focusing on the consequences as well as the fervor that drove the characters. If it were not for the consequences of their act of desire, the novel would not have captured humanities plight with passion and morality. Yet, the romance in this novel is merely forgotten due to the more popular aspects of The Scarlett Letter. Many individuals focus on the radicalization of Hester and the role she played within the novel, but it is the power and uselessness of love that is the foundation of the novel. Tomc points this out within her scholarly article
24
Hawthorne s use in The Scarlet Letter of motifs from the novel of seduction, “ ’ whether conscious or unconscious, encourages readers to condemn Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy rather than sympathize with his suffering thereby reinforcing the novel ’s conservative moral.” - Erika Kreger writing, “In the ‘Conclusion’ Hawthorne depicts not just the futility of love but its power—its ‘celestial radiance,’ the yearning and devotion it inspires, the ‘intimacy and heartknowledge’ that ‘renders one individual dependent for the food of his affections and spiritual life upon another’ and ‘leaves the passionate lover… forlorn and desolate by the withdrawal of his object’” (Tomc 490). Tomc truly captures the importance of the love and passion between both Hester and Dimmesdale. This is the driving force behind the novel and what made The Scarlet Letter possible. Based on what I had found and deconstructed I understood the importance of love and the role it played within The Scarlet Letter. There was no particular passage that stood out to me that I pulled inspiration from. Instead, I decided I would focus more on the themes of the novel as well as Hester Prynne. Hester’s central role in The Scarlet Letter was profound and new for the time it was produced. Her characterization and actions were not typical, which made her an interesting character. Because of this I decided it would be essential to depict Hester within the image of the spread. Based upon that decision I knew the depiction of Hester had to be done right. In the beginning of the novel one of the first images Hawthorne produces is when Hester steps out of the prison with a baby in her arms. She was damned to stand in front of the whole town holding her child with an embroidered ‘A’ on her Puritan garb. Hester was being punished for her sins while Dimmesdale, who is later revealed to be
her partner, condemns her. It was this image of Hester that I believe to be one of many defining moments for her character. Hester was strong in this moment, as well as throughout out the novel, and that is how I wanted to depict her. Yet, some may question why Dimmesdale was not incorporated into the image as well. I decided to stay away from depicting Dimmesdale based on a passage that I had read in Kreger’s scholarly article which states, “Hawthorne’s use in The Scarlet Letter of motifs from the novel of seduction, whether conscious or unconscious, encourages readers to condemn Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy rather than sympathize with his suffering, thereby reinforcing the novel’s conservative moral” (Kreger 311). Unlike Hester who took her punishment, Dimmesdale withdrew himself and condemned Hester even though he himself committed adultery as well. It was hypocritical of him, and Hawthorne wrote it that way so the readers would condemn the character for it and in doing so, Hawthorne had shown another aspect of love’s aftermath. That is why I omitted Dimmesdale out of the image I created. I felt he was not as strong as Hester and his actions were weak and hypocritical.
the image not only in theme but in color as well. The petals that trailed across the spread were a symbol of my own creation. I decided the petals would illustrate the trail of love and passion between Hester and Dimmesdale that was later revealed in the novel. Happy with the symbols I had chosen, the combined images came together to capture the themes and characterization of Hester in The Scarlet Letter. If it were not for a multitude of factors within The Scarlet Letter the novel might not have been as effective as it. Introducing the issue of adultery early in the novel gave Hawthorne a chance to explore the consequences of Hester and Dimmesdale’s act of love. The motifs Hawthorne used and the radical characterization of Hester worked in his favor and created a contemporary piece that has stood the test of time. Like many other authors Hawthorne had deserted nineteenth century traditions and created one of the most significant love stories to date with The Scarlet Letter.
The next issue I faced was how to draw the passion that Hawthorne wrote extremely well. It was a difficult feat but I decided drawing a rose and petals leading up to an embroidered ‘A’ would capture the passion Hawthorne had created. The ‘A’ is obviously a symbol of adultery. However, what lead up to the moment was passion? Roses, known for being the flower of passion, fit perfectly into
25
26
27
34
{
chapter 5
}
Poe finds himself as a major figure in American literature due to his short stories and poems as well as his critical theories. However, it is his poem “The Raven” that has made Poe so popular. There is no denying Poe’s talent writing short stories, yet “The Raven” has transcended through time. There is something about Poe’s innate ability to capture dark psychological landscapes that readers connect to. These landscapes that Poe creates don’t only capture the readers attention but they also have a deeper mythic meaning that goes beyond the intended meaning Poe had. Poe finds himself on this list due to the landscapes that he created in all of his works. Not only does he capture dark themes that are lasting, but he does so with an array of subjects that ranged from death to morality, capturing themes that last and that many individuals and connect to.
35
Known for his short stories and
poems, Poe finds himself on this list for his wild imaginative stories with haunting undertones. In his own work, Poe has an amazing command of language and technique. However, it is his original imaginative short stories and poems that truly enrapture the reader. This nineteenth century American author had a knack for creating dark psychological landscapes that can
be found in almost all of his works. The content of Poe’s work varied extensively and ranged from beautiful dying women to the lack of morality. Even with a wide array of subjects and themes, Poe’s style prevailed. His innate ability to create dark, yet playful-like psychological landscapes within his work is what made his short stories so popular among readers. There is no denying Poe’s talent when it comes to his short stories and poetry. The author has a long list of work along with a huge following of literary fans as well. However, when conversations of Poe are brought up “The Raven”, one of Poe’s most popular works always comes to mind. Without dismissing his other esteemed creations, it is “The Raven”, the most well-known and revered poem, where Poe creates the ultimate psychological landscape that I believe defines who he is as an author. Nonetheless, in order to capture Poe within a single image I had to get into the mindset of Poe and create my own psychological landscape. In order to capture the essence of Poe within an illustration I had to figure out, like many other analysts, the driving force behind his works. Dostoievsky, an author who was deeply inspired by Poe had established that it was a mixture of “Poe’s singular synthesis of unfettered imagination, keen psychological penetration, and unparalleled mastery of realistic detail” (Astrov 71) that was ultimately the driving force of his work. With this in mind I knew it was necessary to capture Poe’s imagination and psychological penetration that had created “The Raven”. Setting aside my appreciation for the poem, I intently focused on what images would transpire the overall landscape of the poem. The main struggle I came across during the thumbnail process was whether I would I incorporate the raven or not. Would the image of the raven be too obvious or would it be a crucial aspect to creating the psychological landscape that I was striving for? It has been observed by many individuals that Poe had a rather obsession with beautiful, dying ladies. In fact, within his scholarly article Sandford states, “Poe’s favorite subject was the death of a beautiful woman, a preference which suggest that his own experience of the inevitable fall from Paradise was intimately connected with failure in love” (Sandford 60). Although “The Raven” has this aspect within the poem, I knew the visual of a beautiful dying woman would not capture the true essence of the poem. I had to push the idea further and truly capture the landscape that Poe had created. After going through the thumbnail process I
36
decided the image of the raven would be essential not only to the design, but to the deeper mythic meaning of the poem as well. Fixed on incorporating the raven within the illustrated spread I delved more deeply into Poe’s poem to find the imagery that would directly influence my depiction. While analyzing the poem I kept getting drawn to the deeper mythic meaning that is found in Poe’s work. There are many objects that Poe uses as symbols within “The Raven”, but it is the symbol of the raven itself that truly captures the mythic meaning of the poem. The raven is simply a symbol of death, which is a reoccurring theme within most of his works. It could easily be said that the poem could be about mans inability to escape death. With this in mind it was imperative that I would depict the raven in my illustration, but how would I do so? There were two lines that stood out to me within “The Raven” that shaped the illustration I would produce. They were toward the end of the poem in the last two stanzas. The first line I drew inspiration from referenced the feathers of the raven. Poe writes, “Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken” (Poetry Foundation). Playing with this idea of leaving feathers as a token I began sketching feathers that swooped across the spread. This created a great sense of movement allowing the eye to move across the spread therefore I kept it, but then I had to create the raven the feathers were coming from, which was a huge issue that I faced. What
It is indeed the poem of the sleeplessness of despair; it lacks “ nothing: neither the fever of ideas, nor the violence of colors, nor sickly reasoning, nor driveling terror, nor even the bizarre gaiety of suffering which makes it more terrible.” - Baudelair on “The Raven” did Poe’s raven look like? I found my inspiration in the last stanza where Poe referenced the ravens eyes, which reads, “And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,” (Poetry Foundation). For me, this line created the image of the raven that is seen on the spread. However, I felt the image was still lacking that dark psychological landscape that Poe was known for. The main issue I had with the original illustration I began with was that it was not dark enough. The raven seemed stagnant, and the feathers seemed like a quick addition to the spread. I was not capturing that zealous feeling of grief that Poe had created within “The Raven”. The initial image was also lacking originality. Poe had made a point that originality was a key aspect of his work, which Sandford points out in his scholarly article writing, “In his own work, Poe strained against mortal flesh and blood to achieve, as he said, ‘an absoluteness of novelty,’ and he considered that he derived the terror of his Gothic tales not from Germany, but from the lonely depths of his own soul” (Sandford 56). With this in mind I continued to play with the image until I felt I captured the dark psychological landscape that I was striving for. Along with creating an image that captures the landscape of “The Raven” I also had to make sure the design stayed within the parameters of the concept and theme of the coffee table book. Each authors subject matter is vastly diverse and thematically different from one another. However, all the
illustrations had to have the same application throughout the whole book, which was difficult to balance with the vastly different authors. The concept of the coffee table book was ink, which helped push the Poe spread forward. Instead of drawing an image straight from the poem itself I took the key elements and created my own original work inspired from “The Raven”. Taking the original raven and feathers I had drawn, I doused the paper in water and ink letting the ink drip down and across the page. It was this touch that brought the two images together. The ink created that darkness that I desired, but the landscape was still not finished. It seemed that throughout the
course of the poem the raven’s constant repetition of nevermore cause more distress to the lover grieving his dearest Lenore. Therefore by scrawling nevermore over the right side of the spread the overbearing grief within “The Raven” was finally depicted. Poe was an original character, and his work followed suit. What sets Poe apart from others authors are the dark psychological landscapes that he created in every work he authored. These landscapes not only made the pieces original, but they also captured themes and feelings that are still relevant today. Whether it is the loss of love within “The Raven” or the fear of death and growing old within “The Masque of the Red Death” Poe’s work is timeless. But Sandford ties Poe’s psychological landscapes and originality together in scholarly article by writing, “One concludes that Poe embraced poetry as an image of transcendent ideality which isolated him with his landscape garden out of an imperfect world in which he could only bewail the lateness of the hour” (Sanford 65).
THE FIRST COVER OF THE RAVEN AND OTHER POEMS.
LIST OF POE’S MOST POPULAR WORKS Tamerlane and Other Poems Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems The Raven and Other Poems Eureka: A Prose Poem Ligeia Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque Murders in the Rue Morgue The Black Cat The Tell-Tale Heart The Cask of Amontillado The Masque of the Red Death Lenore Murders in the Rue Morgue Annabel Lee Ulalume
37
38
39
46
{
chapter 7
}
Whitman’s stature as a major figure in American literature is primarily based on his work Song of Myself. The 19th century American author was the pioneer for free verse and answered Emerson’s call for a poet. Whitman’s ability to see the world as it was and write it was profound and it is reflected in his work. He celebrated nature and all men within his work, which was a huge aspect within his work Song of Myself. Whitman finds himself on this list due to his influence in the free verse movement. Without him, who knows where poetry would be. Whitman saw the universal truths of the world and he decided to write about that while breaking the conventions at the time. Without his experimentation and representation free verse would not be where it is today.
47
Like Poe, Walt Whitman is known as
one of America’s greatest poets. Whitman broke away from nineteenth century American poetry and in turn he created free verse poetry. Free verse is an open form of poetry. The use meter patterns or rhyme within the poem is not necessary, but the authors can use them in order to create some sort of structure. Many of these techniques can be observed in Whitman’s work. In fact in her scholarly article Brown writes, “Whitman had been the guiding spirit behind the free verse movement” (Brown 39).
During Whitman’s time Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a profound piece titled The Poet, which focused on Emerson’s thoughts on what makes a poet and what role that poet should play within society. Some say that Whitman answered Emerson’s call for a poet that articulates the universal truths of humanity while representing all men. Whitman undoubtedly does just that within his poem Song of Myself. The poem itself is hard to deconstruct and many have their individual interpretations of the poem. However, the fact that Whitman was a pioneer to free verse makes his work original. Join that with his ever-growing connection with the universe and all it inhabits, Whitman is not only original but extremely influential as well. Brown put it simply in her scholarly article when she states, “Whitman’s assertive individualism, his idealism, his disregard for literary convention, together with his patriotism and equalitarianism, made him favored as a kind of primal progenitor” (Brown 34). It cannot be stressed enough how important Whitman’s influence on free verse is. However, the real significance of his work, particularly Song of Myself, is “‘his acceptance of the universe as he found it, his magnificently shouted comradeship with all nature and all men’; and ‘his disregard of literary tradition’” (Brown 35). This is the aspect of Whitman’s writing that fulfilled Emerson’s thoughts on the role of the poet. His connection with the universe and eagerness to celebrate nature and all men is truly the essence of Whitman’s Song of Myself. Song of Myself is like no other. Whitman’s use of free verse and celebration of the universe make this poem a truly perplexing. It is difficult to decipher and understand his intentions when experiencing the poem. Yet, it was essential to understand the poet in order to create artwork inspired by Whitman. The poem itself is lengthy and broken into fifty-two sections that all vary from one another. Whitman was so vivid with his writing that each section could be considered as an image. This directly inspired the illustration that I would make for the spread. Seeing that Whitman created these vivid images with words, I thought the best way to capture Song of Myself within an illustration would be to draw what Whitman descried. The only issue was the length and detail he described within the poem. However, one section stood out to me from the rest.
48
It was section thirty-three that reads, “Space and Time! now I see it is true, what I guess’d at, / What I guess’d when I loaf ’d on the grass, / What I guess’d while I lay alone in my bed, / And again as I walk’d the beach under the paling stars of the morning. / My ties and ballasts leave me, my elbows rest in sea-gaps, / I skirt sierras, my palms cover continents, / I am afoot with my vision” (Poetry Foundation). Not only did Whitman create a great image in this section, but I believe he also captured the universal essence of free verse poetry through his words as well. When I first read this particular section the first visual to come to mind is the continents that Whitman declared he could cover with his hands. How could Whitman cover continents with hands? What was his perspective? It was then that I realized that Whitman had to be viewing the world from above. Maybe he was floating, maybe flying, or maybe he was in a hot air balloon looking down swooping over the continents he admired. The possibilities were endless. Yet, before writing about covering continents Whitman wrote about when he loafed on the grass and walked on the beach under paling stars. It is as if Whitman is playing with the idea that he can see up close but see the bigger picture. This concept reminded me of aspects of free verse poetry and its capability of breaking form. The overall form, or lack of it, was similar to perspective in art. Following the stipulations of perspective and you capture a perfectly drawn landscape, but why only capture that one perspective? That was how I decided I would approach the Whitman illustration. Knowing that I would be drawing in two perspectives I understood that the image might seem forced when viewed together. Going from a close up, almost macrolike illustration of grass, to a bird’s eye view of pastures of land while staying within the stylistic choices of the coffee table book was a huge feat. However, the image was
still not working. Something was missing from the overall illustration that was throwing off the dichotomy of the two perspectives. What was missing was the vantage point that Whitman was looking from. After deconstructing section thirty-three again I realized that Whitman had given a clue as to how he could cover continents with his hand. It became clear in the poem that something was holding Whitman down. “My ties and ballasts leave me” was a clear indicator, but were these ties mental or were they physical weights that were holding him down. Due to the restraints of drawing, I decided to go with the physical weight by representing it as a hot air balloon rising up. This in turn created the image that is seen on the final spread. Like Whitman’s Song of Myself the image created is free from perspective and the standard form of typical traditional art. It mimics free verse in that way, but it also captures a clear and vivid image from Whitman’s poem. Most importantly the image celebrates Whitman as an author. His creative differences set him apart from other nineteenth century American authors and his admiration of nature and all men answered the call Emerson cried out for. It is clear that Whitman broke the shackles of poetry giving him the chance to see the world he was living in and the limitless fusions it had to offer, making him one of the most influential authors of his time.
Whitman’s assertive individualism, “ his idealism, his disregard for literary convention, together with his patriotism and equalitarianism, made him favored as a kind of primal progenitor.” - Clarence Brown
49
50
51
The First draft of anything is always shit. /A real failure does not need an excuse. It is and end in itself. it’s no joke out here. / Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a di / A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard words./ My d of their reality. / Cut out all of these exclamation points. An exclamatio society. / The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most true. / Neither is a dictionary a bad book to read. There is not of possible poems and histories. / The reason a writer writes a it. / This world is but a canvas to our imagination. / of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace. / You can’t who drink beer will think beer. / Many receive advice, only the w commonly called an amusing book of travels. Any one who will tell, w fail to carry the reader with him; for the interest we all feel in personal a and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. / Easy readi never realize what a burden is was or what freedom really is. / The good wr thread of the Universe which runs through himself and all things. / what kind of sale or reception a book will have, and advertising seems
Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. / You’ve really got to start hitting the books because ictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. dear, I don’t give a damn. / Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror on point is like laughing at your own joke. / Battles, unlike bargains, are rarely discussed in important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not can’t in it, no excess of explanation, and it is full of suggestions, the raw material a book is to forget a book and the reason a reader reads one is to remember In writing, you must kill all your darlings. The art of art, the glory is simplicity. / Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus./ They wise profit from it. / It is not a very difficult task to make what is with a reasonable degree of graphic effect, what he has seen, will not adventure is, of itself, success. / Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple ing is damn hard writing. / Until you have lost your reputation, you riter seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on that Publishing is a very mysterious business. It is hard to predict to do very little good. There is no rule on how to write. /
W
hile studying American literature
over the course of three years some authors
of a few contemporary writers. Due to the
have stood out as exceptionally influential not
authors and subject matter I thought it was
only in literature, but in the arts as well. This
appropriate for the design to coincide with the
project incorporates both literature and art,
era the authors wrote in.
which would be the culmination of both my majors, Graphic Design and English. All the material that I have learned up until this point will be written and designed into a coffee table book of my own creation. It will be a continuation of my previous Graphic Design project, but it will be expanded upon to incorporate my writing, which will be unique to my project. Instead of straightforward academic text, my writing will have a metacomponent and focus on why I’m drawing the images I’m drawing. The writing will also tackle how my images connect with the authors work; therefore the text I am producing for
This project is mainly driven by concept. This aspect is extremely important to design and determines whether the design is successful or not. As stated before, the concept was based off of ink and parchment due to the nature and era most of the authors work fall into. It was decided early on in the design process that many of the element within the book would be created by hand to give the book a hand-rendered illustrated feel. The idea of hand drawn illustrations fit well with the concept and lent itself to the overall design. However, after tweaking the project and
this project is academic and critical.
creating the meta-component to my writing
The design concept is based off ink and
meta-component is based of the drawings.
parchment. Most of the authors I chose for
My writing will have to do with how and why
this project are either 19th century or 20th
I came up with the illustrations I did, and
century American authors, with the exception
what do they symbolize. Now with this new
the concept became even stronger. Now, the
addition to the project, the book is not only about the authors but the illustrations as well, which combines the concept with the content.