Brodsky's Expansive "Ripples of Meaning"
Joseph Brodsky's "On Grief and Reason" works to analyze Frost's poems predominately, "Home Burial." Working through the poem chronologically, he breaks down each movement and position of the husband and wife as well as each "writerly" movement made by Frost. Brodsky argues that "Home Burial" is an autobiographical poem of Frost's own loss of a child and that it is a "love poem"
--a "tragedy of communication." While his conversational analysis of the power play between the man and wife is supported by the poem, Perrine would agree that the details of the poem fall short in providing well-framed evidence for Brodsky's metaphorical claims. The husband and wife are grappling for an understanding of each other's "grief and reason" so to say. The monosyllabic repetition is a "ballet" of misunderstandings; the characters are caught in a friction of never being on the same "plane" of understanding. Brodsky stretches the details of the poem to construct some of his analysis. Concluding that the bedroom and graveyard are somehow metaphorically related and serve as a reflection of the couple's marriage is on the outskirts of the poem's "ripples of meaning." He may have been more successful in arguing the meaning if he had made more attempt to expand on the "How?" Brodsky's combined efforts of analysis using Marxist, Gender, Biographical, and Psychological lenses highlight and underline key aspects of the poem, but I simply wanted more definite analysis and less conversational observations. With that being said, I did enjoy reading his remarks and exploring a different take on the poem. His speech serves as a good example to shoot for when writing my own analysis for his higher-level ability to break down the poem smoothly from beginning to end discussing many tools without a feeling of chaos.
--a "tragedy of communication." While his conversational analysis of the power play between the man and wife is supported by the poem, Perrine would agree that the details of the poem fall short in providing well-framed evidence for Brodsky's metaphorical claims. The husband and wife are grappling for an understanding of each other's "grief and reason" so to say. The monosyllabic repetition is a "ballet" of misunderstandings; the characters are caught in a friction of never being on the same "plane" of understanding. Brodsky stretches the details of the poem to construct some of his analysis. Concluding that the bedroom and graveyard are somehow metaphorically related and serve as a reflection of the couple's marriage is on the outskirts of the poem's "ripples of meaning." He may have been more successful in arguing the meaning if he had made more attempt to expand on the "How?" Brodsky's combined efforts of analysis using Marxist, Gender, Biographical, and Psychological lenses highlight and underline key aspects of the poem, but I simply wanted more definite analysis and less conversational observations. With that being said, I did enjoy reading his remarks and exploring a different take on the poem. His speech serves as a good example to shoot for when writing my own analysis for his higher-level ability to break down the poem smoothly from beginning to end discussing many tools without a feeling of chaos.
I think that the reference to Perrine was extremely helpful in this situation. Personally, I found Brodsky's conversational observations to be slightly far-fetched, and I agree that he seems to stretch the details of the poem to fit his analysis. Nevertheless, it was an interesting essay to read, and it is also interesting to read opinions from other students in comparison to my own.
ReplyDeleteYou took all the words out of my mouth. This is what I wanted to say more. I could not remember who said that all the details had to match to find the meaning. I thought it was Robert Frost in "Education by Poetry" but I was wrong and I am glad I read this so I was able to fix my mistake. I agree with you and Gavin on when you mentioned the "conversational analysis" and his relaxed approach.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing when reading about the bedroom/graveyard. I found many of Brodsky's ideas to be justifiable and unique from anything I could have come up with. But I definitely agree with you, at that point in his analysis he may have been "grasping for straws".
ReplyDeleteGood point that it is conversational. I found that a bit awkward the first time I read it, but I think that has more to do with the fact that it was originally a lecture. But I will say that the conversational style seems to allow for that discovery of meaning. He is "feeling around in the dark" figuring things out. We see his thinking--the development and reflection. I have come to love the contemplative nature of his tone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your views on the conversational aspect of the article, and I found some of his arguments to be a bit off as well, but I still enjoyed reading his other takes on the poems. For instance I had not realised the representation of the bedroom and the graveyard as you mentioned, and I think you have excellently displayed the conflict in 'Home Burial" and Brodysky's take on it.
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