Anecdote of the jar poem by Wallace Stevens

Anecdote of the Jar is an imagist poem in which Stevens explores superiority between art and nature. The PPT can provide a brief outline of the poem.

1. Anecdote of the Jar S. Mohan Raj [email protected] 9151660760 - Wallace Stevens

2. Anecdote of the Jar I placed a jar in Tennessee,    And round it was, upon a hill.    It made the slovenly wilderness    Surround that hill. The wilderness rose up to it, And sprawled around, no longer wild.    The jar was round upon the ground    And tall and of a port in air. It took dominion everywhere.    The jar was gray and bare. It did not give of bird or bush,    Like nothing else in Tennessee. - Wallace Stevens

3. Wallace Stevens (Oct 2, 1879, U.S. - Aug 2, 1955,  Hartford ) American poet explores reality. Stevens attended Harvard for three years. W orked briefly for the New York  Herald Tribune. W on a degree (1904) at the New York Law School and practiced law in the City. His first poem appeared in 1914 in  Poetry . In 1916 he joined an insurance firm in Hartford, rising in 1934 to vice president, a position he held until his death. Harmonium   (1923), his first book, sold fewer than 100 copies but received some favourable critical notices ; it was reissued in 1931 and in 1947. In it, he introduced the imagination–reality theme.

4. He displayed his most dazzling verbal brilliance in Harmonium  poems like Le Monocle de Mon Oncle , Sunday Morning , Peter Quince at the Clavier , Domination of Black and The Emperor of Ice-Cream . Sea Surface Full of Clouds described unlikely equivalents as umbrellas, French phrases, and varieties of chocolate. The Comedian as the Letter C , examines the relation of poet, or man of imagination, to society. Transport to Summer  (1947) incorporated two long sequences in which he argues that beauty is inextricably linked with evil.  The Auroras of Autumn  (1950) was followed by his   Collected Poems  (1954), which earned him the   Pulitzer Prize   for Poetry. Critical essays,   The Necessary Angel ,   appeared in 1951. After Stevens’ death, Samuel French Morse edited   Opus Posthumous  (1957), including poems, plays, and prose omitted from the earlier collection. Wallace Stevens

5. Summary and Critical Analysis Anecdote of the Jar is an imagist poem in which Stevens explores superiority between art and nature. It answers the question, i s nature superior to human creations? does human creativity surpass nature in some way? This poem solves the riddle by recognizing the unique differences between art and nature. Art may sometimes be more beautiful than nature but it cannot be as creative as nature. Once he kept a big and beautiful jar upon an untidy hill in Tennessee. It was a beautiful round jar, reminding one of the Grecian urns of Keats. The jar is an art object made by a human being, whereas the hill on which it is placed is natural. The wilderness of the hill is more untidy.

6. Summary and Critical Analysis… In the second quatrain, the “slovenly” and wild nature rises up to the artistic jar. The jar/imagination tames or controls the wilderness. The jar domineers “everywhere”. This is a striking expression of the power of the imagination over reality. In the third stanza, the poem takes a turn, persona shifts from the lofty images, described the majestic jar like “gray” and “bare object”, which cannot give birth and re-create. The poet accepts the limits of imagination. Steven’s central concern in his poetry is reality vs. imagination. The jar/imagination is richer than nature but not productive. Both have their uniqueness but it is true that nature is diverse, creative and limitless, ‘art is not capable of what nature is.’

7. Puzzle resolved Anecdote of the Jar  by Wallace Stevens has been a puzzle for readers. It’s a short,  lyrical imagist poem, consisting of three 4-line stanzas ( quatrains ). The word ‘Anecdote’, suggests that it is an incidental report of a minor event. The speaker is presumably the author, appears only in the first line as  I , he detaches himself as merely an observer. Familiarity, simplicity, and detachment serve energy on contemplating the deeper meaning, or content, of the poem .

8. Meter and Sounds Anecdote of the Jar  is written mostly in  iambic tetrameter i.e . lines of four beats with each beat consisting of an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable. Most of the lines sound like da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM note line 7. Stevens deviates from this meter in a few of the lines, such as line 3, perhaps the poet wants to pay special attention to the lines that do not follow the predominant meter.

9. Meter and Sounds… Anecdote of the Jar  doesn’t rhyme in the traditional sense, it plays with the sounds. Many words are smooth and soft sounding, such as  round ,  surround , and  ground , while others have breezy quality, like  air ,  everywhere , and  bare . The poet uses repetition of ‘ il ’ in the words, as  hill ,  wilderness , and  wild create a stark with harsher sounds, such as  jar, tall,  and  port . In the final stanza alliteration ( bare ,  bird , and  bush ), urges the reader to contemplate those lines. Stevens also plays with syllables in his poem, most of the words are short, simple, and monosyllabic.

10. Summary Anecdote of the Jar  by Wallace Stevens poem through the story of “a jar” and “a hill ,” expresses the progressive overtaking of the industry over nature. In the final stanza, that overtaking is revealed to be a sad and absurd prospect. The p oet through comparisons makes it clear that nature is far more remarkable than the industry. There are plenty other explanations can be applied to this poem, the plot is a reflection of this absurdity. The three-stanzas combined as a lament for the forsaking of nature for technical and technological betterment. 

11. Analysis: First Stanza The narrator begins the poem with a simple proclamation that he “placed a jar in Tennessee.” It was “round.” This “jar” turned into massive importance since “[i]t made the slovenly wilderness [s] urround that hill.” What impact “a jar” could have on “wilderness?” The reader must look to metaphor and symbolism for an answer. Stevens is relaying a situation where perfection demands attention and admiration. The “jar” was “placed” “upon a hill” so the “wilderness” has to grow to reach its superior position, and in the notion that “wilderness” itself has been labeled as “slovenly”. This is a general representation of the transition of the world from natural to man-made structures. “Jar” represent the industrial era and fall of “wilderness.” Why Stevens has selected a “jar” to represent industry? Maybe the progress of industry started much simpler, it could take the reader back to the early history of the industry. Stevens shows that even the simplest of man-made items have the ability to lure people from more natural elements.

12. Analysis: Second Stanza In the second stanza, the sway of “jar” over “ wilderness” increased. The “wilderness” did not just “[s] urround the hill”, but “rose up to” “[t]he jar” itself. “Wilderness” was “no longer wild” by the time the transition was finished. This represents the complete change of the world around technology and industry. The world became tame, and nature was forced to change. Forests are removed for the sake of buildings and factories. The “jar” remained unchanged. It stayed “round upon the ground,” “tall and of a port in air.” It is being treated as a ruler over “wilderness,” it is like royalty in a fitting choice.

13. Analysis: Third Stanza The third stanza begins with a blunt declaration that the jar “took dominion everywhere.” The sway grew to every place, it gives the theme of the poem, universality. Ironically, Stevens criticizes “[t]he jar” by saying that it “was gray and bare” and “did not give of bird or bush.” Stevens mocks that how unimpressive this “jar” was when compared to the things around it. It was almost boring by appearance, and it lacked the natural beauty and possibility. The “bird[s]” and “bush[es]” could have been striving to be like. In fact, if such were the case, “[t]he jar” would have had reason to envy the “bird or bush,” or anything “else in Tennessee.” The “gray and bare” industry that overcame nature. This is a statement that industry itself is “gray and bare” as compared to the “ giv [ ing ]” nature of “wilderness,” thus this poem is a mocking tale of industry’s rise.

14. Wallace Stevens’ poem “Anecdote of the Jar” explores the struggle between humans and nature.  Nature left alone, it grows continuously and existing harmoniously. Every creature, plant, and organisms in nature plays a role in supporting the rest of the environment.   Humans, on the other hand, tend to take over, destroying everything, and as a result, disrupting the delicate balance.   Humans introduce artificiality into the world, converting nature from its original state of vitality and freedom to one of repression and control.  

15. In the poem, the jar, a manmade object used for containment, is the ultimate representation of this repression. Stevens uses style, symbolism, juxtaposition, personification, and the relationship between the narrator and the jar to effectively illustrate the containment imposed on nature by humans. A jar is an object, made by man, of unnatural materials, with an artificial shape.  A jar also serves as a barrier between what is inside and what is outside.  The lid completely shuts out the rest of the world.

16. The jar is personified , it takes on human characteristics, such as the ability to interact with and affect the world around it. It represents humanity and civilization.  The jar “[taking] dominion everywhere” reveals the true power of jar over the wilderness.  The wilderness was suppressed, the jar i s capable of exerting such a force over nature.  The power behind the jar’s influence over and interaction with the environment is the narrator, a human being. Humans do not always directly impact the natural world, their influence can be felt through the by products.   The jar is a symbol for all of humanity, contains the wilderness, reflecting humanity’s repression of nature.

17. Stevens contrasts the jar with the environment.  Firstly, the jar is an inanimate object, manmade, not a part of the nature surrounding it. The wilderness is made up of living creatures, plants, and organisms. Secondly, the jar is immobile. The wilderness “rose up” and “sprawled around,” proving it is capable of movement .   Lastly, the jar is described as “gray and bare.” It is dull, plain, and ordinary. W ilderness is filled with colour and texture. By employing these contrasts, Stevens sets up two opposing forces, the struggle between the jar, representing humanity, and the wilderness, which represents the natural world .

18. Containment is an important theme in the poem. The fact that Stevens places the jar in “Tennessee” not only provides a real-world setting but also emphasizes the theme of containment. Tennessee is an arbitrary boundary created by humans, with the purpose of taming under the control of man. Their creation is a way for man to establish his dominion over the unruliness of nature. Furthermore, the poem reflects the theme of containment.  The style of writing is succinct, with no unnecessary words.   The three stanzas are uniform, each consisting of four lines.   Each line is generally the same length, with eight words.   The poem is not written in free verse and is free from restrictions. The poet’s conciseness of language and manner of writing echo the restrictiveness of the jar on the natural world around it. Stevens’ choice of a jar as the subject of the poem successfully expresses the battle between humanity and the natural world. Nature may still exist but in a different more limited form, such as potted plant, garden, or park.  Rarely it is left to flourish.

19. References: https:// www.shmoop.com/anecdote-of-the-jar https :// www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/14575/anecdote-of-the-jar https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdote_of_the_Jar Sharma, K.N. "Anecdote of the Jar by Wallace Stevens: Summary and Critical Analysis." Bachelor and Master , 24 Nov. 2013, bachelorandmaster.com/ british and american poetry/anecdote-of-the-jar.html. https://poemanalysis.com/anecdote-of-the-jar-by-wallace-stevens-poem-analysis/