plays in this process. Stevens focuses on the act of
the mind as it creates a poem that will suffice. The
focus on the creation rather than on the end result
continues throughout the poem. Stevens’s purpose
here is to examine the act of imagining itself.
Stevens argues in the poem that the poetry of
the past does not actively engage the imagination
because it, like a play, contains a set script and
scenes that are repeated over and over. These do
not respond to current, living experience. He then
provides a prescription for the modern poet who
must focus on the real details of the immediate
personal and public scene. The poet must imagina-
tively engage with the observed world with an open
and receptive mind as the poem is constructed. If
the poet can accomplish this dialectic between real-
ity and imagination, between self and world, the
poem will provide both the poet and the audience
with a sense of satisfaction.
During the creative process, the poet and the
audience are inextricably linked in the interplay
of expression and response. The poet, identified
here as an actor, begins the imaginative process
when he or she whispers into the ear of the mind
what has been observed. The audience (or reader)A woman working in an armaments factory
during World War II(Hudson / Hulton Archive)TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Write a meditation, either a story or a poem,
on your own creative process. You might
consider asking yourself if you believe, as
Stevens does, that it is essential to connect
with the living world when you write a short
story, a poem, or a play. Similarly, you could
consider if you agree that the main goal of
creative writing is to discover and communi-
cate a certain meaning regarding the world. If
you have difficulties expressing yourself
through creative writing, explain in a short
essay what those difficulties entail.
Research modernist poetry as a form and
prepare a PowerPoint presentation of your
findings, perhaps including modern poems
with older forms of poetry. Then lead a class
discussion on how ‘‘Of Modern Poetry’’ fits
it to this literary movement. Read Stevens’s poem, ‘‘Sunday Morning,’’
which describes the thoughts of a woman
trying to engage with her world. Write an
essay in which you compare and contrast
this poem to ‘‘Of Modern Poetry.’’ Consider
each poem’s use of imagery and what char-
acterizes each speaker’s meditation.
Read Percy Bysshe Shelley’s essay ‘‘A Defence
of Poetry’’ (1840) and compare his and Ste-
vens’s views on the power of the imagination.
Research how Shelley’s attitudes reflect those
of the English romantic movement. Write a
research paper comparing and contrasting
Stevens’s views on the role of the imagination
with those expressed by the English romantic
poets. Read Langston Hughes’s autobiography
The Big Sea(1940), which depicts the diffi-
cult childhood of this celebrated African
American poet. Hughes also chronicles his
life as a rising young poet during the Harlem
Renaissance in New York City. Lead a dis-
cussion on what Hughes says in the book
about his own creative processes.
Of Modern Poetry