Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
12-1998
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
English
Major Professor
B. J. Leggett
Committee Members
Edward W. Bratton, George Hutchinson, Miriam L. Levering
Abstract
The Zen of Modern Poetry: Reading Eliot, Stevens, and Williams in a Zen Context traces the three poets' exposure to and knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist texts and philosophy, then discusses some of their poems that exhibit Zen concepts.
The introduction, “Eastern Thought and Western Texts, summarizes the effect of Hindu and Buddhist texts on Western literature.
Chapter one, Zen Buddhism: Providing a Context, provides an overview of Zen Buddhism and explains the concepts of non-attachment, nondualism. Emptiness, the non illusory self, and Enlightenment.
Chapter two, T.S. Eliot: From Suffering to Enlightenment,” discusses Eliot's major poems. It argues that Eliot depicts suffering as a result of dualism in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and The Waste Land and that he depicts peace through Enlightenment in Four Quartets. The discussion of “Little Gidding” suggests that Krishna is an element of the familiar compound ghost.
Chapter three, “Wallace Stevens: The Unmaking of the Mind,” maintains that Stevens demonstrates the Zen concepts of nonduality, non-attachment, and Zen reality, with the latter especially evident in his later poems. The discussion of “Montrachet-le-Jardin” claims, in agreement with Alan Filreis, that the poem is based on a pamphlet by a Buddhist monk. The chapter also raises the possibility that the poem sequence “Lettres d'un Soldat" was modeled on the Bhagavad Gita.
Chapter four, “William Carlos Williams: A Reality of Non-Attachment, ” maintains that some of Williams' shorter poems are attempts to portray objects in their suchness while others illustrate the concepts of non-attachment. Emptiness, and Zen spontaneity. It argues that Williams recognizes the inadequacy of language to convey the experience of reality. The discussion of Book I of Paterson claims that Williams’ concept of reality is similar to the Zen notion of reality.
The afterword suggests that as Zen becomes more prevalent in the West, it will be used to interpret more literary texts. It also raises the possibility that Sokeian Sasaki, a follower of Zen who associated with literary figures in New York, may have influenced Williams and other American poets.
Recommended Citation
Milstead, Claudia, "The Zen of modern poetry : reading Eliot, Stevens, and Williams in a Zen context. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1998.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/9320