Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Ashbery's poem "Title Search" reads like an eclectic inventory of imaginary book, film, or musical titles, each evoking a distinct narrative or aesthetic world within the space of a few words. This poem showcases Ashbery's fondness for playing with language and his ability to conjure vivid, if often ambiguous, images and scenarios through mere titles. The list spans a wide range of genres, references, and emotions, from the whimsical to the solemn, the mundane to the exotic, reflecting the vast, often surreal landscape of Ashbery's imagination.

The opening titles, "Voices of Spring. Vienna Bonbons. Morning papers. Visiting Firemen. Mourning Polka," immediately set a tone of juxtaposition and variety, mixing the light-hearted with the somber, the everyday with the celebratory. This blend continues throughout the poem, with each title suggesting its own unique story or theme, yet remaining open-ended and subject to the reader's interpretation.

"Symphonie en ut dièse majeur. Fog-soaked Extremities. Agrippa. Agrippine. Nelly and All. The Day the Coast Came to Our House." These titles further expand the poem's thematic range, touching on music, history, personal narratives, and dramatic natural events. The specificity of each title contrasts with the overall ambiguity of the poem's purpose or direction, inviting readers to imagine the contents of these works and their connections to one another.

The middle section of the poem, with titles like "Hocus Focus. Unnatural Dreams. The Book of Five-Dollar Poems. Oaks and Craters. Robert, a Rhapsody," delves into the fantastical and the mundane, blending elements of magic, dreamscapes, economic commentary, natural imagery, and personal reflection. Ashbery's inclusion of genres and forms—rhapsody, digest, comedy—highlights his playful engagement with the conventions of literature and entertainment.

Towards the end, "The Ostrich Succession. Exit Pursued by a Turkey. In the Pound. The Artist’s Life. On the Beautiful Danube. Less is Roar. The Bicyclist. The Father." These titles suggest a narrative progression or thematic linkage, from the absurd and humorous to more reflective, possibly autobiographical themes. The titles evoke a sense of movement, transition, and personal exploration, culminating in a contemplation of identity and relational dynamics.

"Title Search" functions as a literary montage, a collage of potential stories, emotions, and images that together form a mosaic of human experience. Ashbery's poem invites readers into a playful, imaginative engagement with the act of reading and the construction of meaning. Each title serves as a portal to an untold story, a piece of a larger, unseen tapestry of narratives that challenge the boundaries between the real and the imagined, the concrete and the abstract.

This poem exemplifies Ashbery's capacity to intrigue and perplex, to draw readers into a space of endless possibility where the act of interpretation itself becomes a creative endeavor. "Title Search" stands as a testament to the power of names and titles to evoke, suggest, and inspire, highlighting Ashbery's enduring fascination with the mysteries and multiplicities of language.

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