Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"On Closing Anna Karenina" by Billy Collins humorously and insightively delves into the profound sense of accomplishment and the simultaneous emptiness that accompanies finishing a monumental work of literature. Through his engagement with Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina," Collins not only addresses the personal investment required to navigate such a vast narrative landscape but also touches on the universal experience of concluding a deeply immersive reading journey.

The poem begins with a hyperbolic statement about the time it took to read the novel, suggesting a journey that predates even the author's existence. This exaggeration humorously underscores the daunting size and complexity of "Anna Karenina," setting the stage for a reflection on the commitment and endurance involved in its reading. Collins's mention of "vodka and the suicide," along with "winter farms, ice-skating and horsemanship," encapsulates key elements of the novel's setting and themes, concisely painting a picture of the Russian epic's breadth.

Collins wittily imagines a ceremonial recognition for his reading achievement, expecting a Russian official to award him a medal. This fantasy highlights the silent, solitary nature of reading and the lack of external acknowledgment for literary conquests. It's a playful nod to the idea that engaging deeply with a work of literature feels like an endeavor worthy of public honor, even though it remains a profoundly personal experience.

The discovery of the "last word" of the novel serves as the focal point for the poem's deeper exploration of closure and the reader's relationship with the text. Collins describes the final word as "a useless looking thing," emphasizing the anticlimax that often accompanies the end of a long literary journey. The word's inability to push the narrative further renders it powerless, transforming it into an object of contemplation rather than a vehicle of progression.

Collins personifies this last word, imagining it chanting its own name, akin to a traveler stranded by the disappearance of the road. This imagery poignantly captures the sense of disorientation and loss that can follow the conclusion of a significant reading experience. The reader, like the traveler, finds themselves at an impasse, unable to proceed with the story and unable to return to a time before its impact.

"On Closing Anna Karenina" skillfully navigates the emotional landscape of the dedicated reader, blending humor with poignant reflection. Collins invites readers to consider the intimate, transformative journey of engaging with a literary work and the inevitable moment of parting. The poem speaks to the power of literature to consume and transport us, leaving us changed and, paradoxically, both enriched and bereft upon its completion. Through the lens of finishing "Anna Karenina," Collins articulates a universal experience, capturing the paradox of reaching the end of a great book—the fulfillment of a journey and the longing for it never to end.

POEM TEXT:

I must have started reading this monster
a decade before Tolstoy was born
but the vodka and the suicide are behind me now,
all the winter farms, ice-skating and horsemanship.

It consumed so many evenings and afternoons,
I thought a Russian official would appear
to slip a medal over my lowered head
when I reached the last page.

But I found there only the last word,
a useless looking thing, stalled there,
ending its sentence and the whole book at once.

With no more plot to nudge along and nothing
to unfold, it is the only word with no future.

It stares into space and chants its own name
as a traveler whose road has just vanished
might stare into the dark, vacant fields ahead,
knowing he cannot go forward, cannot go back.

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