Voices and Visions
A video instructional series on American poetry for college
and high school classrooms and adult learners;
The lives and works of 13 renowned American poets are interpreted through
dramatic readings, archival photographs, dance, performances, and interviews
in this inspiring series. Illustrative poems in each program are accompanied
by insights into their historical and cultural connections. The series
covers the terminology of poetry and the larger role of poets in American
and world literature studies. Poets include Langston Hughes, Robert Frost,
Emily Dickinson, and Elizabeth Bishop.
Episode Descriptions
1. Elizabeth Bishop
From childhood in Nova Scotia to travels in Brazil, this program illustrates
the geographic spirit of Bishop's life and works with scenes from her
poems.
2. Hart Crane
Diverse locations and dramatizations of his life illustrate Crane's poetry
and his greatest work, "The Bridge."
3. Emily Dickinson
Dramatic scenarios and New England landscapes illuminate the passionate
genius of Dickinson, whose poems represent a broad range of imaginative
experience.
4. T. S. Eliot
Eliot's life, influence, and poetry from the bold originality of "Prufrock"
to the probing, meditative style of "Four Quartets" are explored
with photos, archival footage, and discussion with friends, critics, and
scholars.
5. Robert Frost
Frost's image as elder statesman is vividly contrasted with his vigorous,
poetic exploration of the darker forces of nature and the human condition.
Readings and interviews with the poet reveal compelling insights into
his work.
6. Langston Hughes
Hughes wrote of the beauty, dignity, and heritage of blacks in America.
Interviews, music, and dance performances convey his work and influence,
discussed by James Baldwin and biographer Arnold Rampersad.
7. Robert Lowell
Lowell's political passion encompasses much of his greatest poetry. Lowell
himself reads from his work. Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Hass, and others
discuss his development and style as illustrated by "Lord Weary's
Castle" and "Life Studies."
8. Marianne Moore
Funny, formidable, and paradoxical, the poet and her work are analyzed
by critics and friends, including Monroe Wheeler, Grace Shulman, and Patricia
Willis. Her most memorable poems display her power of observation and
moral force.
9. Sylvia Plath
The creative intensity with which Plath confronted her experiences as
daughter, wife, mother, and writer is explored in documentary and archival
footage intercut with visualizations of her work.
10. Ezra Pound
The most controversial of American poets — artistic catalyst, legendary
confidant, and author of brilliant cantos — Ezra Pound and his poetry
and role in the modernist movement are explored by friends and critics.
11. Wallace Stevens
Stevens's flamboyant verbal technique and philosophical vision of American
life are beautifully illustrated by archival footage.
12. Walt Whitman
Brilliant readings of Whitman's poems demonstrate his American vision
and style and vividly convey their poignance and sheer power. Whitman's
sources, including Emerson, the King James Bible, opera, and political
oratory, are revealed.
13. William Carlos Williams
"No ideas but in things," Williams's aesthetic dictum sought
to capture, not analyze. A collage of documentary footage, interviews,
animation, and dramatization capture the poet's often visual work and
intense life.
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