"We Are Without Any Areness": Polyphony in the Poetry of John Ashbery
We are, of course, without any areness at all and that’s the only
way we are.
—William Bronk, "The Camera Doesn’t Lie," Living Instead
Grzegorz Kosz (Poland)
Andrew Zawacki (USA)
Gertrud Szamosi (Hungary)
Despite being considered by many critics to be inaccessible or concerned solely with private matters of the self, somehow removed from social contingencies and realities, the poetry of John Ashbery explores public dimensions. In assuming a multiplicity of voices, Ashbery broadens the poetic self beyond the traditional boundaries of individual identity. The following study briefly examines several different ways in which Ashbery articulates the complex relation between the individual and the rest of the community. Part II discusses Ashbery’s frequent use of questions in his most recent poetry, as a means of framing provisional assertions. Part III addresses the poem "’How Much Longer Will I Be Able To Inhabit the Divine Sepulcher…’" in order to demonstrate Ashbery’s desire to overcome the isolation of the individual. Part IV offers a critique of "Soonest Mended," in which Ashbery shows that polyphony is no less problematic in trying to transcend history than is the individual voice. A short bibliography of texts located on the Internet and relevant Websites can be found in Part V.