In the midst of autumn hectic,
I am pondering eclectic
(With most lines acatalectic)
For October-posting goal.
In the meetings by the dozens
Re: the calendar discussions,
Hear the essay repercussions
Where extent exerts control:
Whence the structure, on the whole?
This is a non-Twitter poem for which the general theme has been running through my mind since the late summer. It uses the structure of a stanza of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” which the author contextualizes from start to finish in his absorbing essay entitled “The Philosophy of Composition.”
For my part, this homage comments on some of the discussions I’ve heard in academic meetings in the past few months. Since the poem didn’t have the Twitter constraint of 280 characters, I’ll give myself some more flexibility, with a 560-word limit, starting here.
In the midst of autumn hectic, /
I am pondering eclectic /
(With most lines acatalectic.) /
For October-posting goal….
This essay will “ponder… [the] eclectic” more than typical chem-specific posts here do. The “lines acatalectic” seem particularly suited for this specific “October-posting goal”: few poems have as distinctive a syllabic rhyme scheme as Poe’s “The Raven.” It is a fun challenge to match the structure.
In the meetings by the dozens /
Re: the calendar discussions, /
Hear the essay repercussions /
Where extent exerts control…
Several of this semester’s committee meetings (but not, in all prosaic fairness, anywhere near dozens of them!) have involved discussions about future years’ academic calendars.
What I found initially counter-intuitive, but quickly convincing, is that the first step must be the choice regarding the actual calendar adjustment, before the substance of what that adjustment entails can be thoroughly discussed. This is because many long-term, high-stakes campus plans— class modules, athletic teams’ schedules— hinge on what the calendar looks like in the first place. The timescale for changing the calendar (years in advance) is longer than the timescale for using it (months or weeks in advance).
When the pertinent conversations began, they thus suggested “essay repercussions,” as I was reminded of “The Philosophy of Composition,” in which Edgar Allan Poe recounts his writing process for “The Raven.” His essay highlights some similarly unexpected points.
For instance, rather than the metric feet used, or the scene depicted, or the voice of the narrator– all of which are quite famous– the fundamental requirement that Poe discusses is simply the poem’s length: “The initial consideration was that of extent.” He comments that the poem should be read all at once to achieve maximum effect: “If two sittings be required, the affairs of the world interfere, and everything like totality is at once destroyed.” Soon after follow similarly broad discussions of effect (“beauty is the sole legitimate province of the poem”) and tone (“one of sadness”).
It is only after those three big-picture choices that Poe addresses what I would’ve initially thought to be more vivid inspirations: the raven itself, the bird’s “Nevermore” refrain, and the story of the narrator and Lenore. And likewise, it is only after THAT discussion that Poe notes that he “may as well say a few words of the versification.” The logistics of the intricate rhymes, employing trochaic feet in a primarily (but not entirely) “octametre acatalectic” scheme, are presented almost as an afterthought.
When I first encountered this essay, I was surprised to learn that the dramatic saga of the “midnight dreary” finds its primary origin in a line-count requirement.
Whence the structure, on the whole?
In terms of this post, I’ll keep my focus on the comparison between poem and calendar. It is interesting to see how “extent exerts control” in both literary work and academic planning, as the defining first principle. The overall shapes of both works under consideration (“the structure[s], on the whole”) rely on eminently practical starting points.
More broadly, it is fascinating to revisit such a generously retrosynthetic analysis of a poem. Doing so evokes some chemistry themes generally: the creative process versus the final work, the varied ways in which “micro” elements combine to yield “macro” effects, and other themes I’ve enjoyed exploring in this space. I expect I will return to Poe’s essay in the future.
Chemphasis 