Professor Carl Rollyson of the English department is working on a biography of American poet Amy Lowell.
A seasoned biographer of women, Rollyson notes that all of his subjects had "dramatic personalities" and were always willing to put their professional ambitions first.
In addition, Rollyson says he writes about people whose previous biographies he feels "did not serve them well."
Amy Lowell is no exception. In 2000, while on sabbatical, Rollyson devoted time to writing an encyclopedia on 20th century literature.
As he was researching, Rollyson found that previous reference books mentioned the need for a new biography on Lowell.
In reading her first biographies, he began to understand the need. "Most biographers couldn't see her as a whole human being," Rollyson says. "They couldn't put together her lifestyle and her work."
Lowell, born in 1874, was part of a prominent Massachusetts family. She left school at age 17, choosing instead to self-educate by reading in her family's magnanimous library.
Rollyson believes this choice was characteristic of Lowell. "She may not have benefited from college."
Many of the men in her family were successful and high-profile in the community. Being part of such an illustrious family was both a gift and a burden. "Her family gave her a lot of confidence," Rollyson notes. "She didn't have to worry about money."
However, the Lowells were supposed to act a certain way, and Amy's behavior was not always what was expected.
She was often criticized for being overweight, wearing masculine clothing and smoking cigars. Yet, Lowell didn't seem to care about such evaluations. "She had a pretty thick skin," Rollyson says.
Lowell didn't begin publishing her poems until her late 30s. Rollyson notes that she took literature seriously and was not going to send out work unless she truly thought it was worth publishing.
In addition, Lowell also helped other poets get published. "She had a business mind. She saw no contradiction between poetry and being successful and famous," Rollyson says.
Yet, success came somewhat gradually for Lowell. Her first book of poetry, A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass, was thought to be very conventional. Rollyson observes that it was imitative of Romantic poets, such as John Keats, who Lowell was deeply influenced by and later wrote a biography on.
At this time, the Imagist movement was growing in England. According to the Academy of American Poets, Imagism is rooted in imagery and clear, simple language.
When Lowell heard about the movement, "it set her free," says Rollyson. "She broke out of her poetic shell." She traveled to England to meet with Imagist poets. Ezra Pound, Hilda Doolittle (known as "H.D."), D.H. Lawrence and Richard Aldington all became major influences.
However, Rollyson explains that her enthusiasm for the movement bothered some because they thought it was part of a "marketing scheme." In particular, Pound thought she was "vulgar and not a good poet," Rollyson says.
Rollyson also notes that many in the literary world were prejudiced towards her because she did have money, a luxury not afforded to other burgeoning poets.
Lowell is credited with bringing the Imagist movement to the United States. She incorporated many of its basic ideals into her work. She continued to write books of poetry, which were all best-sellers in the old-fashioned sense. "They sold thousands of copies and went into second or third printings," Rollyson says.
Amy Lowell died in 1925. The next year, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for What's O'Clock. "She would have cherished it," Rollyson says. "It would have been a fulfillment of her work."
Yet, despite such an honor, Rollyson says her reputation went into a decline after her death.
No one, not even her long-time lover Ada Dwyer Russell, carried on her legacy. "Pound and T.S. Eliot reasserted their position in the literary world," Rollyson says. To them, Lowell was a novelty and they referred to her as such.
Rollyson explains that her work is only regaining attention because scholars looked back and felt she "needed to be re-examined."
Her abilities, which had once been trivialized by critics, are now being seen in a more understanding light.
Be the first to comment on this article!