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Biography
Hilda Doolittle was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the
daughter of a music teacher and an astronomer. When she was
fifteen, her father was appointed head of the observatory
at the University of Pennsylvania, so the family moved to
Philadelphia; there, Doolittle met Ezra Pound, then a student.
It was Pound who gave her the pen name "H. D.," which she
used for the first time in 1913 when Poetry magazine published
three of her poems. With her spare, elegant lyrics; vivid
phrasing; concrete, compelling imagery; and short poetic
line, H. D. became one of the primary writers of the Imagism
movement. Her works include The Walls Do Not Fall (1944), Tribute
to the Angels (1945), The Flowering Rod (1946),
and Collected Poems 1912-1944 (1983).
Explorations
The NAAL selections of H. D.'s work show us a poet
whose range of interests and voices extends considerably
beyond her usual categorization as an "Imagist." Though some
of her early poems may seem generically within that mode,
the expansion and sophistication of her voice and subject
matter after World War I show us an individual talent leaving
behind a school of poetry and going in its own direction.
1. Mid-day (1916) is a poem laden with interesting
verbs; the first three stanzas of Fragment 113 (1922)
have almost no verbs at all. How do you account for this
difference, in these two poems, with regard to language?
2. When H. D. turns to classical subjects, metaphors,
and motifs, what seem to be her intentions? Look carefully
at Helen (1924) and at stanzas 1-3 of The Walls
Do Not Fall (1944) in developing an answer to this
question. Why does the poet move away from classical allusions
later in this poem?
3. Describe H. D. as a nature poet. In what spirit does
she regard the natural world? With Transcendentalist spirituality?
With a skepticism like Stevens's or with a mingled response
reminiscent of Dickinson? Refer to specific moments in
these poems when answering this question.
Other sites to consult:
Hilda
Doolittle. Part of a University of Texas
student site called "Imagist Women: Their Lives and
Their Poetry." Features four poems, an H. D. chronology,
and a discussion of the Modernist figures with whom
she had relationships.
The
H. D. Home Page. A comprehensive list of
H. D.-related links. Maintained by Heather Hawkins.
H.
D.: Gathering the Fragments. A project by
Susan Feidner (a student at SUNY-Albany) which explores
H. D.'s use of verse to confront the turbulence in
her personal relationships.
Academy
of American Poets H. D. page. Includes a
biography, five poems, audio clip of H. D. reading
from "Helen in Egypt," links to other H. D. sites,
and a bibliography. Also includes a link to the AAP
online exhibition "The Modernist Revolution: Make
It New!" in which Cummings is discussed.
http://www.imagists.org/hd/: Updated link for the
H. D. home page.
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hd/hd.htm: Modern
American Poetry Site, including links, text, and criticism.
http://www.idiom.com/~didogart/hilda/: Pink Moth Reading
Room, a comprehensive site with links to H. D.’s interests,
contemporaries, biographies, and others.
http://www.imagists.org/hd/: A list of links to other H.
D. sites.
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