Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wallace Stevens? "Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction: It Must Give Pleasure" explores the aesthetic and emotional dimensions of poetry and its essential role in human experience. In this concluding section of his poetic manifesto, Stevens reflects on the ability of poetry to create delight, connection, and meaning through its beauty and form. Through a blend of philosophical inquiry and vivid imagery, the poem underscores the idea that art must evoke joy and satisfaction even while grappling with complexity and ambiguity.

The first canto sets the tone for this exploration, emphasizing the communal and transcendent aspects of poetic joy: “To sing jubilas at exact, accustomed times / To be crested and wear the mane of a multitude.” Here, Stevens celebrates the collective power of song and its ability to elevate shared experience. The “jubilas” invoke a sense of ritual and exultation, suggesting that poetry, like music, connects individuals to something larger than themselves. Yet Stevens complicates this vision by introducing the idea of "difficultest rigor." While joy is fundamental, the deepest pleasure often arises from the struggle to comprehend and articulate the ineffable, such as “the irrational moment [and] its unreasoning.” This duality between ease and effort underpins Stevens’ view of poetry as both accessible and challenging.

The second canto presents a blue woman at her window, a figure who embodies the interplay of memory, reality, and imagination. For her, it is enough to recognize the “cold, coldly delineating” objects of the world without imposing transformative narratives. Stevens suggests that the mere act of observing and naming can evoke pleasure and clarity. This canto underscores a key theme of the section: poetry?s ability to find beauty in the ordinary and to render it extraordinary through the act of perception.

In the third canto, Stevens contrasts the enduring beauty of art with the ephemerality of life, using the image of a "lasting visage in a lasting bush." This image, while grand and evocative, is tinged with irony—what seems eternal is subject to decay and reinterpretation. The repetition of “red-in-red repetitions” highlights both the richness and the potential monotony of unchanging beauty. Stevens critiques the notion of static perfection, advocating instead for the vibrancy of dynamic, ever-evolving forms of expression.

The fourth canto deepens this exploration through the allegory of a mystic marriage in Catawba. The union between the great captain and Bawda symbolizes the merging of opposites—earth and spirit, love and reason. Their love is grounded in the place itself, transcending traditional notions of heaven or hell. Stevens suggests that poetry, like this marriage, thrives when it embraces both the physical and the metaphysical, creating a "place dependent on ourselves" that is both personal and universal.

The fifth canto introduces the Canon Aspirin, whose reflections on his sister’s life and her children emphasize the grounding of poetic pleasure in reality. The sister, who dresses her daughters in simple yet imaginative ways, finds joy in the everyday acts of care and creation. Her rejection of dreams in favor of the “unmuddled self of sleep” parallels Stevens’ own insistence on the clarity and authenticity of poetic expression. This canto reinforces the idea that poetry derives its power from its ability to transform the mundane into the meaningful.

The sixth canto shifts to a more abstract meditation on choice and inclusion. The Canon?s ascent into "the utmost crown of night" represents the poet?s journey toward unity and harmony. Stevens asserts that poetry must "include the things / That in each other are included, the whole." This expansive vision of art as an integrative force reflects his belief that poetry should encompass the multiplicity of human experience, balancing the real and the imagined, the rational and the emotional.

In the seventh canto, Stevens distinguishes between imposing order and discovering it. He critiques the artificial constructs of reason and celebrates the organic emergence of meaning: “Out of nothing to have come on major weather.” This line encapsulates Stevens’ view of poetry as an act of discovery rather than invention, a process that reveals the inherent order and beauty of the world.

The eighth canto introduces the angel as a symbol of transcendence and self-awareness. Stevens questions whether the angel’s experience of bliss is shared by the poet or merely imagined. This self-reflexive inquiry underscores the subjective nature of poetic pleasure, which arises from the interplay between the external world and the poet’s imagination. The angel’s flight becomes a metaphor for the poet’s exploration of the sublime, a journey that blends reality and idealism.

The final canto returns to the figure of the poet as both a creator and a participant in the rhythms of life. Stevens celebrates the cyclical nature of existence—“the merely going round”—and finds beauty in repetition and renewal. The poet, as "the man-hero," embodies this mastery of repetition, transforming it into a source of pleasure and meaning. The concluding lines link the poet and the soldier, suggesting that both find purpose and solace in "the bread of faithful speech."

"It Must Give Pleasure" affirms the essential role of joy and beauty in poetry. Stevens argues that art must engage the senses and the spirit, providing solace and inspiration while embracing complexity and ambiguity. Through its celebration of perception, transformation, and unity, this section of Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction captures the profound satisfaction that poetry can offer, both to its creator and to its audience. In Stevens’ vision, poetry is not merely a reflection of reality but an active force that reshapes and enriches our understanding of the world.

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