Besides simply being literary contemporaries, James Joyce and Ezra Pound shared a relationship built on common literary goals, and each enjoyed the advantage of the other’s influence in various arenas. Pound was a well-connected writer and editor who prided himself on his ability to discover and promote new artists, while Joyce was a brilliant but unknown author who would only be able to achieve success if he had venue by which to share his work with a receptive audience. Pound’s work reflects his discontentment with early modern society and the artists it was producing, while Joyce had the ability to deliver writing that ably filled the creative void Pound was complaining about. Their introduction marked a miraculous nexus that would richly reward both men. Examining the course and nature of their relationship offers insights into the mental space and creative directions both were exploring, as their work overlaps in certain places and diverges in others. Forrest Read, who compiled the letters Pound wrote to Joyce over the course of their acquaintance, makes the comment, “Pound thought of his work and Joyce’s as complementary treatments of the same subjects, the modern mind” (147). This idea of a complimentary relationship extends to many facets of the authors’ friendship, and their common interest in illustrating the modern mind becomes especially interesting when Pound’s poem Portrait d’Une Femme is compared to the third chapter of Joyce’s Ulysses, Proteus. Before looking at individual works however, it is useful to understand the basic dynamic of Pound’s relationship with Joyce.
That might be the most laborious piece of text I've ever written. It must have taken half an hour. This is that part of the paper where I'm not exactly sure what I'm trying to say, so writing every new sentence feels like groping in the dark until I fix on something mildly meaningful and relevant to the previous sentence. I hope that since I've forced myself to define a purpose and direction, subsequent paragraphs will flow more smoothly. I promise no more posts like this though, where I trick you into reading boring things instead of bringing stories and jokes like usual.
Update: It's 9:30 and I'm done, except for the conclusion paragraph which will not happen until I've read the other 18 1/2 pages top to bottom. (Not all of these pages were written this afternoon. The last 12 came from last weekend). As a reward for finishing tonight (I could have been done two hours ago if I didn't feel the need to get up every three paragraphs or so...I wandered around the apartment, watered plants, did sit-ups, dyed my hair, ate chocolate, and took out the recycling) I'm buying myself some Sufjan Stevens AND Spoon. (If this section of the post could have its own title, it would be called 'SPLURGE!')
