John Marr and Other Sailors is a volume of poetry published by Herman Melville in 1888. Melville published twenty-five copies at his own expense, indicating that they were intended for family and friends. Henry Chapin wrote in an introduction to a reprint that "Melville's loveable freshness of personality is everywhere in evidence, in the voice of a true poet".[1]
The "Inscription Epistolary" is to William Clark Russell, a British sea-story author who called Melville "the greatest genius the [United States] has produced" and "first" among the "poets of the deep".[2] Like Timoleon, his other volume of late verse, scholars have assumed that it was a "private work of art", symptomatic of his withdrawal from the literary world. Melville was putting this collection together as he was also drafting Billy Budd, which, like several poems in this collection, had prose headnotes followed by full poems.[3]
The poems include "John Marr", "Bridegroom Dick", "Tom Deadlight", "Jack Roy", "The Haglets", "The Æolian Harp", "To the Master of the 'Meteor'", "Far off-Shore", "The Man-of-War Hawk", "The Figure-Head", "The Good Craft 'Snow-Bird'", "Old Counsel", "The Tuft of Kelp", "The Maldive Shark", "To Ned", "Crossing the Tropics", "The Berg", "The Enviable Isles", and "Pebbles I-VII".
The critic F. O. Matthiessen finds an "oblique parable" to the bleakness of Melville's own later years in the title poem, "John Marr". In it, Marr, an old sailor, has left the "vastness of the sea for the vastness of the prairies". Melville's preface to the poem says that the pioneers there were "kindly", but "staid" and "sincerely, however narrowly, religious". They lacked "the free-and-easy tavern clubs ... in certain old and comfortable seaport towns", and were lacking "geniality, the flower of life springing from some sense of joy in it". But when Marr tried to enliven the occasion with a story of his adventures at sea, the blacksmith honestly said to him: "Friend, we know nothing of that here".[4]
Referencesedit
Dryden, Edgar A (1997). "John Marr and Other Sailors: Poetry as Private Utterance". Nineteenth-Century Literature. 52 (3): 326–349. doi:10.2307/2933998. JSTOR 2933998.
Giordano, Matthew (2007). "Public Privacy: Melville's Coterie Authorship in John Marr and Other Sailors". Leviathan. 9 (3): 65–78. doi:10.1111/j.1750-1849.2007.01198.x. S2CID 145131873.
Matthiessen, F. O. (1941). American Renaissance; Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman. London, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN9780199726882.
Melville, Herman (2009). Published Poems: The Writings of Herman Melville. edited by Robert C. Ryan and Hershel Parker. Evanston and Chicago: Northwestern University Press. ISBN9780810111127.
Notesedit
^Chapin, Henry. Introduction John Marr & Other Poems. Kindle ebook ASIN B0084B7NOC
john, marr, other, sailors, volume, poetry, published, herman, melville, 1888, melville, published, twenty, five, copies, expense, indicating, that, they, were, intended, family, friends, henry, chapin, wrote, introduction, reprint, that, melville, loveable, f. John Marr and Other Sailors is a volume of poetry published by Herman Melville in 1888 Melville published twenty five copies at his own expense indicating that they were intended for family and friends Henry Chapin wrote in an introduction to a reprint that Melville s loveable freshness of personality is everywhere in evidence in the voice of a true poet 1 The Inscription Epistolary is to William Clark Russell a British sea story author who called Melville the greatest genius the United States has produced and first among the poets of the deep 2 Like Timoleon his other volume of late verse scholars have assumed that it was a private work of art symptomatic of his withdrawal from the literary world Melville was putting this collection together as he was also drafting Billy Budd which like several poems in this collection had prose headnotes followed by full poems 3 Contents 1 The poems 2 References 3 Notes 4 External linksThe poems editThe poems include John Marr Bridegroom Dick Tom Deadlight Jack Roy The Haglets The AEolian Harp To the Master of the Meteor Far off Shore The Man of War Hawk The Figure Head The Good Craft Snow Bird Old Counsel The Tuft of Kelp The Maldive Shark To Ned Crossing the Tropics The Berg The Enviable Isles and Pebbles I VII The critic F O Matthiessen finds an oblique parable to the bleakness of Melville s own later years in the title poem John Marr In it Marr an old sailor has left the vastness of the sea for the vastness of the prairies Melville s preface to the poem says that the pioneers there were kindly but staid and sincerely however narrowly religious They lacked the free and easy tavern clubs in certain old and comfortable seaport towns and were lacking geniality the flower of life springing from some sense of joy in it But when Marr tried to enliven the occasion with a story of his adventures at sea the blacksmith honestly said to him Friend we know nothing of that here 4 References editDryden Edgar A 1997 John Marr and Other Sailors Poetry as Private Utterance Nineteenth Century Literature 52 3 326 349 doi 10 2307 2933998 JSTOR 2933998 Giordano Matthew 2007 Public Privacy Melville s Coterie Authorship in John Marr and Other Sailors Leviathan 9 3 65 78 doi 10 1111 j 1750 1849 2007 01198 x S2CID 145131873 Matthiessen F O 1941 American Renaissance Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman London New York Oxford University Press ISBN 9780199726882 Melville Herman 2009 Published Poems The Writings of Herman Melville edited by Robert C Ryan and Hershel Parker Evanston and Chicago Northwestern University Press ISBN 9780810111127 Notes edit Chapin Henry Introduction John Marr amp Other Poems Kindle ebook ASIN B0084B7NOC Dryden 1997 p 326 Giordano 2007 p 65 Matthiessen 1941 p 499 External links editJohn Marr and Other Sailors An Online Electronic Facsimile Text of the First Edition 1888 DigitalCommons University of Nebraska Lincoln nbsp Poetry portal nbsp This poetry related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Marr and Other Sailors amp oldid 1144768681, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
