SOLITARY SOULS, POETIC MINDS: EMILY DICKINSON (1830-1886) AND GIACOMO LEOPARDI (1798-1837), A COMPARISON (by Alessandro and Sara)

The first thing they share is melancholy: a result of a higher sensitivity that allowed the two to put emotions in their words – and to take them away, in a certain sense, from their worlds.
The two poets spent their life writing alone, in their room, in a sort of self-induced reclusion. Solitude was their choice and such a terrible and sweet companion at the same time.

We see these two faces of solitude depicted in their writings. Dickinson wrote, in “There is a solitude of space”

“[…] A soul admitted to itself -   
                Finite Infinity”;

while Leopardi projects himself into a “solitary bird” as we can see in the homonym poem:

               Solitary bird, you sing […]

you gaze pensively, apart, at it all:
no companions, and no flight,
no pleasures call you, no play:
you sing, […]

Ah, how like
your ways to mine!

Another point of intersection between the two is to be found in eternity and imagination.

In this sense, Dickinson’s “Come slowly – Eden” is our choice, where the space that separates the two stanzas has the same function of the hedgerow in “Infinite”, by Leopardi:

“Always to me beloved was this lonely hillside
And the hedgerow creeping over and always hiding
The distances, the horizon's furthest reaches. […]

    Leopardi, “Infinito”

Dickinson’s poem being divided in 2 stanzas, one could think of this stylistic division to reflect the division of the poet from pleasure. While Eden is first referenced in the first line of the first stanza, the act of fulfilment is only reached in the very last line, in the second stanza - thus suggesting a sense of eternity.

Similarly, as we’ve anticipated, the hedgerow separates the Italian poet from all the beautiful things he’s prevented to see.

However, this separation becomes for Leopardi a source a pleasure itself, obtained through

Imagination:

[…]

remembering the seasons,
Quiet in dead eternity, and the present,
Living and sounding still. And into this
Immensity my thought sinks ever drowning,
And it is sweet to shipwreck in such a sea.

Imagination proves to be fundamental for the American poet too, as she writes in a poem:

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.

.

Sharing characteristics, both from their lives and their poetry, Emily Dickinson and Giacomo Leopardi are likely to be compared for who they were: two solitary souls, and two beautifully poetic minds.

Homework for December 5 . Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, chapters 1-15

Answer to one of the following:
- How are religion and superstition commented upon? Through which characters?
- How is Huck's father characterized, both through showing and telling (differentiate between the two modes)
- Comment on the symbolism of the Mississippi in relation to the tensions of Man and Society
- What do we learn about Jim from his talking about "King Sollermun"?

Homework for November 30 - Translation

Try a translation of a favourite Dickinson poem (it can be one not included in the anthology). To kick things off, here is my version of one of her poems that has always stunned me.

Zumbiu a Varejeira – quando morri
Nesse sereno Quarto
Como sereno é o Ar
Entre os Capelos do Mar —

Enxutos os Cabos — dos Olhos em roda
E suspensos os Fôlegos
Para o último Ato — entrado
Entre os mais — o Rei no Quarto —

Doei minhas Lembranças — assinei
O que de mim se usa
Em Rubrica – e nisto meteu-se
A Varejeira intrusa

Zumbindo azul ­— incerta — instante
Entre eu e a Luz — a estremecer —
Cessando as Janelas então — e eu
Não pude ver para ver —

Translation of:

I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –  
The Stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air –  
Between the Heaves of Storm – 

The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –  
And Breaths were gathering firm
For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –  

I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away
What portions of me be
Assignable – and then it was
There interposed a Fly –  

With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –  
Between the light – and me –  
And then the Windows failed – and then
I could not see to see – 

Bartleby and Passive Resistance / Thoreau and Civil Disobedience (by Luana and Rita C.)

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      In the first place, the setting of Bartleby is Wall Street. This is a place where everything is in motion at all times, and where being stationary is dangerous and might lead you to misery. It is curious that, in such a setting, Bartleby chooses not to do his job – we can say that his attitude is the same that leads one to civil disobedience. He breaks the chain. Thoreau also does something similar by not paying his taxes. In Walden, he states: "The nation itself, with all its so called internal improvements, which, by the way, are all external and superficial (...) Men think that it is essential that the Nation have commerce, and export ice, and talk through a telegraph..." (2113), which supports his disdain for technological progress and capitalism.

Secondly, it is curious to notice that, whenever we get to know that Bartleby refused to complete a task with something other than "would prefer not", his answer is always written in the passive voice of the lawyer (E.g. Page 2416). Due, perhaps, to his previous job in a dead letters’ office, Bartleby seems to show he does not work for people, but for a purpose. This can be seen on page 2409, when the character answers the narrator with “What is wanted?”.

The passive resistance in Bartleby that we have been mentioning is supported on page 2410, 7th paragraph: “Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance. If the individual so resisted be of a not inhumane temper, and the resisting one perfectly harmless in his passivity; then, in the better moods of the former, he will endeavor charitably to construe to his imagination what proves impossible to be solved by his judgment.” From Thoreau’s point of view, it was preferable to resist and even break the law than to harm others. On page 2098, he states: “But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.”

Furthermore, we can compare the passage “Poor fellow! Thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he means no insolence, his aspect sufficiently evidences that his eccentricities are involuntary” from Melville, with “I was not born to be forced" from Thoreau. Bartleby’s passiveness was such that, in the end, the lawyer decided to move instead of confronting Bartleby once more. His appearance had led the narrator to see his attitude as “involuntary”, whereas we can discuss that Bartleby might have been very aware of what he was doing.

We may also compare the passage: "If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man” (2102) with: "The Egyptian character of the masonry weighed upon me with its gloom. But a soft imprisoned turf grew under foot. The heart of the eternal pyramids, it seemed, wherein, by some strange magic, through the clefts, grass-seed, drop by birds, has sprung” (2427). Bartleby was unable to keep living has he had chosen to; however, life did not stop when he died. Plants continued sprouting. Despite Bartleby’s resistance, the world resumed as usual after his departure.

To conclude, we may say that the lawyer’s exclamation – “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!” (2427) – reveals his opinion, that is to say, that he thought that if Bartleby’s conduct was copied or shared by humanity, everyone would end up like him. This, however, can be refuted with Thoreau’s words: "The lawyer's truth is not Truth, but consistency, or a consistent expediency”.

Melville, an excerpt from Moby Dick (1851)

All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event — in the living act, the undoubted deed — there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's naught beyond. But 'tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it.

Homework for November 28: commentary proposal

"I am a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best. … I am one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquillity of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men’s bonds and mortgages and title-deeds. All who know me consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method."

from Bartleby the Scrivener, anthology p. 138

Considering the abovementioned quotation, express your opinion on how it compares to advices about what to live for, surmised from at least two other texts read in class.

Social tensions in Bartleby, the Scrivener (by Nadine S. and Inês S.)

In Bartleby, the Scrivener, one can take notice of several important themes present in the short story. One of them is the social tension represented in the lawyer's office that would seem to be a prison for all the characters depriving them of any freedom, or it could also be bringing to light the lawyer’s different behavior towards each character.. An example of it is the distribution of each employee in the office. Notice how each one is separated according to the lawyer's convenience. The same happens with the fact that each character has a nickname instead of a proper name: “In truth they were nicknames, (...) deemed expressive of their persons or characters.” (Page 2404)”, however one must think, do the nicknames actually match them? And the answer to that is, no they do not. Looking at Turkey, Nippers and Ginger Nut as individuals, one concludes that the three characters have different personality traits, though the lawyer insists on merely mentioning physical and psychological. With this stance, the lawyer strikes us as an arrogant rich man from a higher social class turning these three characters, from the middle class, into “just another nameless worker[1]”. The facts are that Turkey was an:” (…) Englishman of about my [the lawyer’s] age” (Page 2404), Nippers was: “acting as a lawyer for the poor” (Page 2405, footnote number 7) and Ginger Nut had in fact been: “sent to [the lawyer’s] office as student at law” (Page 2406). Therefore, since the beginning of the short story one can point out numerous times when the lawyer puts himself in a pedestal to make himself feel great. For instance, when he discovers that Bartleby, most likely, is poor he refers the fact that: “His poverty is great” (Page 2413), and in other times the lawyer believes he can buy anything with money:” Yes. Here I can cheaply purchase a delicious self-approval” (Page 2410).  However, Bartleby is the exception, since he appears to be from a lower social class. The lawyer calls him by his name, perhaps out of pity, in fact, he is the only character whose name we are given, even so Bartleby is also confined to a convenient space chosen by the lawyer: “I resolved to assign Bartleby a corner by the folding-doors, (...), so as to have this quiet man within easy call” (page 2407). Even so, throughout the short story, Bartleby appear to be the character with more freedom.

Another example of criticism is the fact that Bartleby is constantly refusing to do any job related to proofreading, since “A autenticidade não pode ser copiada”^[2],  but at the end he also refuses to copy anything at all:” I have given up copying”( page 2417),  and also mentions that ” (...) [he] like[s] to be stationary. But [he is] not particular.” (Page 2424). Despite his unwillingness, each time Bartleby refuses to do his job as a copyist he ends up making others do his job, which in a way shows that even though the situation is unjust, the lawyer does not do a thing about it. While Bartleby says “stationary,” it is important to understand that the author was making an association with the mass printing that was done in those places, and at the same time this is a little ironic because Bartleby didn’t particularly like to copy but he also didn’t want to be treat as piece of paper/ document While at the beginning he was copying he quickly becomes unable to do so and refers the fact that his eyes had gone bad. With this he is trying to give himself an excuse not to copy anymore. If that was not enough, he also points out the fact that he finds any other job too confined: “Would you like a clerkship in a dry-goods store? There is too much confinement about that. No I would not like a clerkship; but I am not particular” (Page 2424). Still in this matter, there is another aspect to address and that is the fact that, once again, when Bartleby says he’s not particular, he wants to say that he is not particular in the sense of not being excluded from the rest of society.

Bringing back the illustrious words of preferring not to do something, one must explain another important aspect underlying this constant answer, and that is the lack of mutual understanding between Bartleby and the lawyer. One example of this is the fact that he himself does not know the first thing about his employee, other than his name, which is surprising, given the thought that he gave nicknames to all the others.

One last aspect to take into account would be the fact that Bartleby could be the representation of Melville’s frustration as a writer, while “Try[ing] to get a living by the Truth” which proved to be a difficult obstacle in his life, one he could not overcome. So, if we think about Bartleby with this idea in mind, it becomes easy to associate Bartleby’s behavior of not conforming to his situation as Melville’s own voice, while he struggled as writer. If that is so, then each time we read:” I would prefer not to” one can also interpret the lawyer as Melville’s readers pressuring him to write what they wanted to read.

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[1] http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/melvillestories/section1/page/2/

^[2] Benjamin, Walter ‘s A OBRA DE ARTE NA ERA DA SUA REPRODUTIBILIDADE TÉCNICA, 2nd version (1955)

Edward Hopper, "Office in a Small City" (1953)

Walt Whitman: Preface and advice on the Greatest Poet (by Daniel and Micael)

Apresentámos um trabalho sobre Walt Whitman, com especial foco no prefácio para "Leaves of Grass". Também tocámos em algumas ideias de Song of Myself.

Abordámos a noção de Poeta Maior ("Greatest Poet") e seu significado; igualmente a definição de ideias para esse Poeta Maior, conselhos dados para que o mesmo atinja a plena realização das suas potencialidades.

Referimos o mundo e particularmente os Estados Unidos da América, os quais são a nação de maior plenitude poética para Walt Whitman e nação onde o aglomerado de povos pode vir a constituir o mais belo poema do Cosmos.
Investigámos o prefácio fascinante do mais belo livro de poemas de Walt Whitman, onde a concretização das suas intelectuais faculdades atingiu o mais elevado apogeu.

Homework for November 23 (Bartleby the Scrivener)

Choose one of the following questions and comment on it in the box below:

1. What symbolic undertones can be ascribed to the wall and how do these relate to the different types of walls we find in the text?

2. Characterize the narrator as character, from what he tells and shows about himself.

3. How do you interpret the last sentence of the text?

Fragment of "Saudação a Walt Whitman" by Álvaro de Campos

Meu velho Walt, meu grande Camarada, evoé!
Pertenço à tua orgia báquica de sensações-em-liberdade,
Sou dos teus, desde a sensação dos meus pés até à náusea em meus sonhos,
Sou dos teus, olha pra mim, de aí desde Deus vês-me ao contrário:
De dentro para fora... Meu corpo é o que adivinhas, vês a minha alma —
Essa vês tu propriamente e através dos olhos dela o meu corpo —
Olha pra mim: tu sabes que eu, Álvaro de Campos, engenheiro,
Poeta sensacionista,
Não sou teu discípulo, não sou teu amigo, não sou teu cantor,
Tu sabes que eu sou Tu e estás contente com isso!

Nunca posso ler os teus versos a fio... Há ali sentir de mais...
Atravesso os teus versos como a uma multidão aos encontrões a mim,
E cheira-me a suor, a óleos, a actividade humana e mecânica
Nos teus versos, a certa altura não sei se leio ou se vivo,
Não sei se o meu lugar real é no mundo ou nos teus versos,
Não sei se estou aqui, de pé sobre a terra natural,
Ou de cabeça p’ra baixo, pendurado numa espécie de estabelecimento,
No tecto natural da tua inspiração de tropel,
No centro do tecto da tua intensidade inacessível.

Abram-me todas as portas!
Por força que hei-de passar!
Minha senha? Walt Whitman!
Mas não dou senha nenhuma...
Passo sem explicações...
Se for preciso meto dentro as portas...
Sim — eu franzino e civilizado, meto dentro as portas,
Porque neste momento não sou franzino nem civilizado,
Sou EU, um universo pensante de carne e osso, querendo passar,
E que há-de passar por força, porque quando quero passar sou Deus!

Tirem esse lixo da minha frente!
Metam-me em gavetas essas emoções!
Daqui p’ra fora, políticos, literatos,
Comerciantes pacatos, polícia, meretrizes, souteneurs,
Tudo isso é a letra que mata, não o espírito que dá a vida.
O espírito que dá a vida neste momento sou EU!

Que nenhum filho da puta se me atravesse no caminho!
O meu caminho é pelo infinito fora até chegar ao fim!
Se sou capaz de chegar ao fim ou não, não é contigo, deixa-me ir...
É comigo, com Deus, com o sentido-eu da palavra Infinito...
Prá frente!
Meto esporas!
Sinto as esporas, sou o próprio cavalo em que monto,
Porque eu, por minha vontade de me consubstanciar com Deus,
Posso ser tudo, ou posso ser nada, ou qualquer coisa,
Conforme me der na gana... Ninguém tem nada com isso...
Loucura furiosa! Vontade de ganir, de saltar,
De urrar, zurrar, dar pulos, pinotes, gritos com o corpo,
De me cramponner às rodas dos veículos e meter por baixo,
De me meter adiante do giro do chicote que vai bater,
De me (...)
De ser a cadela de todos os cães e eles não bastam,
De ser o volante de todas as máquinas e a velocidade tem limite,
De ser o esmagado, o deixado, o deslocado, o acabado,
E tudo para te cantar, para te saudar e (...)
Dança comigo, Walt, lá do outro mundo esta fúria,
Salta comigo neste batuque que esbarra com os astros,
Cai comigo sem forças no chão,
Esbarra comigo tonto nas paredes,
Parte-te e esfrangalha-te comigo
E (...)
Em tudo, por tudo, à roda de tudo, sem tudo,
Raiva abstracta do corpo fazendo maelstroms na alma...

Edgar Allan Poe e representações de O Corvo (Joana D., Beatriz N., Mariana Nereu)

Na nossa apresentação iremos abordar essencialmente três temas: o primeiro será a forma como o corvo é visto em várias culturas e também a perspectiva religiosa em relação a este animal; o segundo é a forma como o corvo é representado no poema de Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven”, e o terceiro é a forma como o corvo é apresentado na cultura popular.

Começamos por fazer um breve resumo de como o corvo é mencionado na Bíblia, relatando um episódio da Arca de Noé, e referindo varias passagens da mesma que sejam pertinentes para este episódio. Seguidamente são mencionados alguns episódios da mitologia grega referindo Apolo e a infidelidade da sua amante, outra lenda sobre a desobediência dos corvos. Relativamente à mitologia nórdica, contamos a história do deus Ódin e do seu par de corvos “Hugin” e “Munin”. Iremos também mencionar as qualidades atribuídas ao corvo pelos celtas. Na cultura nativo-americana iremos abordar a sua simbologia e o facto de a ave ter uma conotação mais positiva, e a forma como esta é vista entre os Índios “Tlingit”, que a consideravam criadora do mundo. Já no continente asiático, particularmente na China, o corvo é visto como um símbolo de gratidão filial. Segundo uma das lendas, existiam 10 corvos vermelhos em que nove foram abatidos e sem este episódio o mundo teria ardido. À semelhança da China, o corvo, no Japão e na Coreia é representativo do Sol e é símbolo de orientação.

                  Quanto ao segundo tema, neste poema, o corvo parece simbolizar a premonição fatal. Também representa a saudade do sujeito poético em relação à sua amada, bem como a inevitabilidade da morte. Nesta obra literária podemos encontrar referências às lendas e mitos referidos anteriormente, como por exemplo, o busto de Pallas que é alusivo a mitologia grega, em que esta deusa representa o intelecto;. Quanto à escolha desta ave em particular, Poe originalmente queria um animal parecido com o papagaio, pois este ao longo do poema repete apenas uma palavra (“Nevermore”), mas gostaria de transmitir uma certa melancolia. Na “Filosofia da Composição”, o autor refere que a morte é um dos tópicos mais melancólicos. Como o corvo também pode simbolizar a morte no ocidente, consideramos que esta seria a escolha mais acertada.

                  Foram feitas algumas representações visuais do poema. Entre estas destacamos Tim Burton, que se inspirou neste autor para criar uma curta-metragem intitulada “Vincent”, e a famosa série norte-americana, “The Simpsons”, em que o poema foi recitado num dos seus episódios. Iremos mostrar uma parte de cada um dessas adaptações e que também podem ser encontradas na internet. Para além de representações em formato de vídeo iremos falar de Gustave Doré e Edouard Manet. Iremos mencionar igualmente Júlio Pomar, um artista português. Tal como os vídeos, iremos mostrar as obras.