Historical and Cultural Connections – Symbolism and Imagism

Marble bust of Ezra Pound
by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska

As you have seen, Imagist poetry is unique. Its sharp images and innovative formats can still be seen in poetry today. Contemporary poets play with forms, use everyday language and concrete images, and incorporate allusions like their earlier Imagist counterparts did. Today, however, poems tend to be longer, use more punctuation, and contain more storylines, but it cannot be denied that Imagists played a role in developing a stronger and wider range of American poetry. Imagists sought to portray their ideas in a snapshot of words that made their readers piece together their intent from a spattering of symbols. Time has not dulled their intent.