Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Charles Olson?s "Post Virginal" exemplifies his complex engagement with abstraction, ontology, and the poetics of recurrence. Dedicated to John Wieners, a poet whose work also revolved around exploring identity and linguistic experimentation, the poem becomes a dialogic exploration of philosophical and aesthetic concerns. Olson?s approach is mathematical and metaphysical, yet grounded in human suffering and artistic transformation.

The opening formula, "F = ci²," mimics the language of physics but shifts its focus from energy to the intensity of an object, placing it within the poetic realm. The reference to Keats signals Olson?s investment in Romanticism’s emphasis on sensory experience, yet he critiques its fixation on singular, idealized forms. For Olson, intensity arises not in stasis but through dynamic multiplicity and interaction. The poem begins with a meditation on perception, emphasizing the law of times and the role of discrimination. The act of multiplication as a means of restoring clarity highlights the recursive and iterative nature of understanding—a central theme in Olson?s poetics.

Olson?s assertion that "all things recur" invites reflection on cyclical existence and the paradox of novelty within repetition. He distinguishes between mere recurrence and the transformative power of occurrence, positing that the latter generates new realities. Olson credits God with creating an abundance of forms yet emphasizes human agency in making these forms meaningful. Waste, limit, and mortality emerge as central to this process; they define the constraints within which human creativity operates.

The division into "two classes" underscores Olson?s critical gaze on the human condition. Those "who have by having what there is to have" are mired in a form of suffering tied to material accumulation and unmet desire. This suffering becomes a "medium" devoid of relief, reinforcing Olson?s concern with the dangers of unfulfilled longing. The second class, implicitly those who transcend this cycle, embody a potential for creative engagement. Olson?s claim that "Form is not life. Form is creation" challenges traditional notions of mimesis. Creation, rather than replication, offers a means to alter human conditions, distinguishing the poetic from the natural and aligning it with acts of volition and transformation.

The closing focus on nature as uninteresting contrasts sharply with Olson?s assertion that "Man is interesting." This statement, rooted in his existential poetics, positions humanity as the site of meaning-making. Nature, like God, provides the raw material for human engagement but lacks the self-reflexivity and agency that characterize human creativity. In this framework, form becomes the manifestation of human will, a way to wrest significance from the chaos of existence.

The poem?s structure mirrors its thematic preoccupations. Its fragmented lines and erratic enjambments reflect Olson?s refusal of linear narrative in favor of a mosaic of thought. This form mirrors the content, embodying the multiplicity and discontent the poem describes. Olson?s diction oscillates between the cerebral and the visceral, weaving abstract musings with tactile images to create a text that demands active interpretation. The reference to Keats bridges the Romantic and the Modernist, grounding Olson?s exploration of form and intensity in a poetic tradition while challenging its conventions.

"Post Virginal" exemplifies Olson?s insistence on the inseparability of thought and language, perception and creation. The poem becomes both a meditation on and an enactment of the process it describes. Olson?s focus on recurrence, creation, and the human capacity for transformation situates the work within his broader poetics of the "projective" and the "polis." The poem challenges readers to consider their role in the ongoing creation of meaning, emphasizing that the powers of waste, limit, and mortality are not constraints but conditions for profound artistic and existential engagement. In this sense, the poem serves as both a critique of and a guide for navigating the complexities of human experience.

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