John Ashbery's Status as a Modern Poet Shown Through Vendler
In accordance with many differing authors, modern, post-theological poets, in an arena where God is supposedly dead or running things inadequately, have many assorted roles. In her essay, "Keats and the Use of Poetry," Helen Vendler shows that poets may write to display historical themes, to use representation, "an incarnation of the passions," to teach others virtues, or simply to maintain the beauty of verse (Vendler 117). However, poets are not firmly held to these styles about which she speaks; rather, postmodern poets themselves are disoriented, looking for their place in a society where they are not popular, and in many peoples' eyes, not wanted. Yet although poets do not firmly cling to the loose conditions of Vendler, they can still be abstractly applied to modern poets like John Ashbery. Poets are no longer held to the ideological restrictions that were prevalent in prior times, but the new freedom is more of a restriction than the limitations created by the acceptance and popularity of God. John Ashbery represents this postmodern example of the poet; his thoughts at times seem scattered amongst his characters, interactions, and comments, which itself is a representation of the perplexing notion of the present day
Ashbery does this in "Spring Cries;" the whole poem is a metaphor, but also in individual instances he inserts the "symbol-essences" of objects. Ashbery does perform the task of using symbols quite well in his works. He also gives the examples of the isthmus and bight, both of which represent the torn state of poetry, where poets are going separate ways. The first two lines show "successes" and "failures," contrasting ideas that convey the strains of postmodern poetry. This presents a startlingly noticeable metaphor, the isthmus "gilded," given a deceptively attractive appearance of white, perfectly clear. Vendler introduces the suggestion that the actual arrangement of the poem can represent a story in itself saying, "[John Keats] proposes an ingenious reconciliation by suggesting that form allegorically represents content" (Vendler 118). He simply introduces "she" into the poem, with no mention before or after who "she" actually is. Ashbery follows some, and strays from others. Across the marsh / some bird misses its mark, walks back, sheepish, cheeping" (Ashbery 8-10). The poet cannot see what lies behind the next tree, and must blindly travel further. Truly this could be the case with "Spring Cries. While May is in fervor, the bird "misses its mark," walking back shamefaced, quietly. Vendler outlines all these as traits of a modern poet, but Ashbery holds little to none of these things. " However, Ashbery also does not instill many of the conditions set forth by Vendler, and the thematic content of his poetry has shifted dramatically from the former ideas. In "Spring Cries," he uses the symbolism of a raving May and a sheepish bird to give contrast.
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