Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips)
History
Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922
Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips)
Essays; Literature -- History and criticism; Periodicals
article of the magazine. Herein the author proclaims the supremacy of
spiritual utterances over all restrictions created by the mind, and
urges the emancipation of the soaring bard from the earthly chains of
rhyme and metre. That the inward promptings of the poetic instinct are
of prime value to the poet, few will dispute; but that they may give
final form to his soul's creations without some regulation by the
natural laws of rhythm, few will agree. The metric sense lies far deeper
in the breast of man than Mrs. Renshaw is here disposed to acknowledge.
After this article, the perfectly regular stanzas of "Fellow Craftsman,"
_by the same author_, are refreshing. The typography and form of _The
Looking Glass_ leave something to be desired, but the riches within make
ample compensation for outward crudity.
_The New Member_ for May, edited by William Dowdell, contains but one
credential, yet doubtless paves the way for a resumption of the
enterprise so ably conducted by Miss Hoffman last year. "Melancholy," a
poem by I. T. Valentine, shows traces of the beginner's crudeness, yet
has about it a quality which promises much for the future of the poet.
"Lock-Step Pete," by Miss von der Heide, is an unusual poem with a
thoughtful suggestion embodied in its concluding stanza.
_The New Member_ bound with the May _Official Quarterly_ is a model that
should henceforth be followed as the nearest approach to perfection yet
beheld. Credentials, lists of prospective members, news of recruits, and
accounts of local clubs are here given in just and pleasing proportion.
"Bluets and Butterflies," by Carolyn L. Amoss, is a poem of great
delicacy and ethereal atmosphere. The solitary, tiny flaw is the
attempted rhyming of "Miss" and "yes." "War in America," by Annette E.
Foth, is a pleasant juvenile story. E. Ralph Cheyney's extract from his
essay on "Youth" is in many ways remarkable, and shows us that we have
another recruit of choice quality. His rather peculiar ideas are well
expressed, though their soundness is quite debatable. A few abnormal
characters like Byron and Shelley doubtless experienced all the
adolescent phenomena which Mr. Cheyney describes, but we believe that
the average youth is a copyist, and for the most part reflects his
environment. Radicalism and novel ideas arise just as much from blasÈ,
elderly cynics, who are tired of sane and sober conservatism. We have
been reflecting on Life for about twenty years, ever since we were five,
and have consistently believed that the wisdom of the ancient sage is
the true wisdom; that Life is essentially immutable, and that the
glorious dreams of youth are no more than dreams, to be dissipated by
the dawn of maturity and the full light of age. "Flowers on the Grave,"
a poem by J. D. Hill, has a commendable sentiment, and is remarkable for
its possession of only one repeated rhyming sound. Whether or not the
latter feature be monotonous, all must admit that the versification is
attractive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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