"The Fish" Essay, Research Paper
"The Bishop / Moore
Correspondence"
Lynn Keller
… Bishop seems to have recognized that she,
like Moore, was far more observant than most people. Once she even assumes a tone of smug
complicity, implying "you and I see what others carelessly overlook," when
commenting on the obtuseness of those who label museum exhibits: "Some of their
inscriptions baffle me – a perfectly sensible crystal fish, for example, something
like a perch, labelled ‘Porpoise.’ And a young man on a Greek vase who is
obviously cutting the ends of his hair with his sword, called ‘Boy Washing Hair
(?)’" (letter of 25 January 1935). Bishop seems also to have been always
conscious that the women she was writing to was not only "the World’s Greatest
Living Observer" (a title Bishop used in her contribution to the Marianne Moore issue
of A Quarterly Review of Literature, 1948) but one of its greatest describers as
well – and therefore the most qualified judge of Bishop’s own descriptive
achievements. …
… As early as 1935 Bishop demonstrates the
knack for narrative, the interest in colorful human characters, and the playful humor that
are distinctly hers. … The following vignette … contains surprising images and
an understated, half-serious moral that bring to mind Moore’s writing, but the
casual, anecdotal manner could only be Bishop’s:
I must tell you about the beautiful tree down the
street – covered with fine yellow blossoms and the most delicate, wire-like, of green
leaves – it scarcely looks like a tree at all, but some sort of transcendental
lighting fixture. An old Negro with white hair was sitting underneath it reading the
‘Congregational Record’ and I asked him the name – Jerusalem Thorn. I said
isn’t it beautiful, and he answered me very severely, ‘It’s worth-while
looking at.’" (letter of 5 March 1938)
Yet despite the obvious differences between their
descriptive styles (and the temperaments determining them), Moore’s writing clearly
provides Bishop’s standard for successful description, the standard against which she
measures her own achievement.
[….]
The care Bishop apparently took composing her
early letters and the descriptions they contain reflects, then, not only her desire to
share with Moore intriguing or delightful experiences, but also her awareness that this
correspondence provided a unique opportunity for monitored practice in writing skills.
After all, Moore was the ideal audience: well disposed and genuinely interested,
possessing rigorous literary standards and reliable judgment; her praise, when earned, was
significant. Without in any way diminishing the genuine affection binding these two women
and the mutual rewards of their correspondence, it seems fair to regard Bishop’s
letters of the ’30s as a format for literary exercise and experiment, as vehicles for
locating her own voice and manner, for testing her audience’s response in preparation
for more public forays. The activity of composing them seems to have been part of
Bishop’s self-imposed training.
From Lynn Keller, "Words Worth a Thousand
Postcards: The Bishop / Moore Correspondence," American Literature 55.3
(October 1983), 411, 413-414.
Correspondence on "The
Fish"
1. Elizabeth Bishop to
Marianne Moore: January 14, 1939
The other day I caught a parrot fish, almost by
accident. They are ravishing fish – all iridescent, with a silver edge to each scale,
and a real bill-like mouth just like turquoise; the eye is very big and wild, and the
eyeball is turquoise too – they are very humorous-looking fish. A man on the dock
immediately scraped off three scales, then threw him back; he was sure it wouldn’t
hurt him. I’m enclosing one [scale], if I can find it. …
From One Art: Letters of Elizabeth Bishop,
Ed. Robert Giroux (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994), 79.
2. Elizabeth Bishop to
Marianne Moore: February 5, 1940
I have one Key West story that I must tell you.
It is more like the place than anything I can think of. The other day I went to the
china closet to get a little white bowl to put some flowers in and when I was rinsing it I
noticed some little black specks. I said to Mrs. Almyda, "I think we must have
mice" – but she took the bowl over to the light and studied it and after a while
she said, "No, them’s lizard." …
I am so much longing to see some of your new
poems. I am sending you a real "trifle" ["the Fish"]. I’m afraid
it is very bad and, if not like Robert Frost, perhaps like Ernest Hemingway! I left the
last line on so it wouldn’t be, but I don’t know …
From One Art: Letters of Elizabeth Bishop,
Ed. Robert Giroux (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994), 87.
3. Marianne Moore to
Louise Crane: February 14, 1940
[Bishop was romantically involved with Louise
Crane and shared a house with her at Key West.]
I had a letter from Elizabeth a day or two ago,
which I am thinking of having tattooed on me – in which she tells of Mrs.
Almeyda’s identifying certain little specks in a white bowl, as "Them’s
lizard." And she enclosed a very valorous and concentrated poem about a fish. I
thought of your somewhat pensive statement, "Elizabeth is writing some poems: she is
working hard and will have more things" – when we were pondering the probability
of enough to make a book; I wondered where th fish had begun to be written, and if I have
missed any companion piece to it.
From The Selected Letters of Marianne Moore,
Ed. Bonnie Costello; Assoc. Eds. Celeste Goodridge and Cristanne Miller (New York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 1997), 397.
4. Elizabeth Bishop to
Marianne Moore: February 19, 1940
I have been reading and rereading your letter
ever since it came … And thank you for the marvelous postcard, and the very helpful
comments on "the Fish." I did as you suggested about everything except
"breathing in" (if you can remember that), which I decided to leave as it was.
"Lousy" is now "infested" and "gunwales" (which I meant to
be pronounced "gunn’ls" ) is "gunnels," which is also correct
according to the dictionary, and makes it plainer. I left off the outline of capitals [for
the first word of each line], too, and feel very ADVANCED.
From One Art: Letters of Elizabeth Bishop,
Ed. Robert Giroux (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994), 87-88.
5. Marianne Moore to
Elizabeth Bishop: March 17, 1940
I am glad the Partisan Review wants the
article, and since the canoe trip gives a picture of Florida, you could surely send it.
And if you ask if I "could bear" to see it again and if I "have the
time" to read it, I’ll tell you a fib and say when I said I liked "The
Fish" that I meant merely the title, not the poem itself. I don’t feel I am any
real help to you and should so like to be. But in anxiety to protect the work I scrutinize
every detail.
From The Selected Letters of Marianne Moore,
Ed. Bonnie Costello; Assoc. Eds. Celeste Goodridge and Cristanne Miller (New York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 1997), 398.
6. Elizabeth Bishop to
Marianne Moore: March 14, 1940
Partisan Review has asked me to write a
"Florida Letter." … They are printing "The Fish" this month, I
think.
From One Art: Letters of Elizabeth Bishop,
Ed. Robert Giroux (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994), 89
Другие работы по теме:
Инджерсолл, Чарльз Джаред
Связать Чарльз Джаред Инджерсолл (англ. Charles Jared Ingersoll; 3 октября 1782 — 14 мая 1862) — американский политический деятель. Сын Джареда Инджерсолла.
Маттик, Пауль
Пауль Маттик (нем. Paul Mattick, 13 марта 1904 — 7 февраля 1981) — марксистский политический обозреватель и активист. Биография В 1918 году он начал учиться на слесаря-инструментальщика и во время революции был избран в качестве делегата от рабочего совета подмастерий компании Сименс.
Georg Cantor Essay Research Paper Georg CantorI
Georg Cantor Essay, Research Paper Georg Cantor I. Georg Cantor Georg Cantor founded set theory and introduced the concept of infinite numbers with his discovery of cardinal numbers. He also advanced the study of
Military Experiences Essay Research Paper Military AdvantagesI
Military Experiences Essay, Research Paper Military Advantages I was sitting there signing what I thought was a never ending stack of papers, in my recruiters office. I remember my recruiter telling me about the engineers. I was sitting there with
Human Judgement Experiment Essay Research Paper The
Human Judgement Experiment Essay, Research Paper The age old saying People are what they do has long been ingrained in the psyche of every individual in every culture. It is even stated in the Bible, regarded by many as the book of truth, that every man should be seen in the light of his actions . In other words good people only do good deeds, while evil people only perform evil deeds.
Charles Schulz Essay Research Paper Charles SchulzCharles
Charles Schulz Essay, Research Paper Charles Schulz Charles Schulz was the cartoonist for the comic strip peanuts. He researched, designed, wrote, and drew every strip that appeared in the daily and Sunday newspapers around the world for almost 50 years.
Mike Essay Research Paper Dear Michael
Mike Essay, Research Paper Dear Michael, Greetings from cyber-space! How are things going? I received your letter yesterday and thought I d give you some information about myself. My name (as you already know) is Chris Durso. I recently graduated from St. Louis University High School (SLUH), a Jesuit all-boys school in St.
How Does The Starving Time Of The
Colonists Relate To The Hebrew?S Exodus? Essay, Research Paper Many things in history can be connected to one another. The ?Starving Time? of the colonists and the Hebrew?s Exodus are two examples that relate so clearly. Their relation can be expressed through religious beliefs of the two or through the roles of the groups involved.
Fermat Essay Research Paper While Descartes was
Fermat Essay, Research Paper While Descartes was laying the foundations of analytical geometry, the same subject was occupying the attention of another and not less distinguished Frenchman. This was Pierre de Fermat, who was born near Montauban in 1601, and died at Castres on January 12, 1665. Fermat was the son of a leather-merchant, growing up being educated at home.
Gogol As St Petersburg Essay Research Paper
Within Diary of a Madman, Gogol attempts a tale of epic proportions, if only for the schizophrenic mumblings of a character so immersed in his own psychosis that he fails to realize that the entire world does not share his own delusions. Through numerous journal entries, Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin leads us throughout his world, from his mediocre job and crush on his employer’s daughter, to his encounters with dogs of higher intelligence, to the torments he undergoes at the hands of the Spanish “Inquisitor.” This is a tale of suffering; Poprishchin is just a pathetic, Walter Mitty-esque soul who’s only pleasure lies within his own imagination.
The Nature Of Truth Essay Research Paper
The nature of truth has been linked with the good and the beautiful as one of man’s supreme values. The pursuit of truth is indistinguishable in practice from the pursuit of knowledge, whether about the environment, nature, ethnical duties and ideas, or the relation to the divine.( Boodin 208-209 ) The complete understanding of the nature of truth is not humanely achievable.
Three Tests Of Truth Essay Research Paper
“Three Tests of Truth” Philosophy Essay -In a court of law expert witnesses are required to demonstrate the truth “beyond reasonable doubt”. This is difficult for a ‘knower’, such as a historian, to be able to assert this at the witness stand.
Animal Farm Book Review Essay Research Paper
Many people have many different reactions after reading George Orwell s Animal Farm. Some think it fascinating, some educational, and some long and tedious. Most everyone agrees that it is a political satire on the Revolution, however, and equates each character with a historical figure. For instance, Donlee Brussell speaks of Napoleon as the most corrupt character in the book with a brutal system of ruling Manor Farm that magnetizes an idiosyncratic correspondence to Joseph Stalin (A Soviet politician).
Rene Descrates Essay Research Paper While the
Rene Descrates Essay, Research Paper While the great philosophical distinction between mind and body in western thought can be traced to the Greeks, it is to the seminal work of Ren? Descartes (1596-1650) [see figure 1], French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist, that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship.
Positivism Essay Research Paper PositivismPositivism is the
Positivism Essay, Research Paper Positivism Positivism is the belief that “scientific naturalism” is the foundation of knowledge and truth. Leszek Kolakowski wrote “Positivism is a normative attitude, regulating how we are to use such terms as knowledge , science , cognition , and information . Positivism rejects the theories of theology and metaphysics because they don t have proof that they are true.
The Professor Andthe Madman Essay Research Paper
Minor is Major Could only an incarcerated madman have had the time to become the most important contributor to one of the most prestigious dictionaries of all time? According to Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman, an intellectual madman, who was locked in an insane asylum, had over twenty years to become the greatest contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).
The Duties Of A Secretary Essay Research
Paper The Duties of A Secretary When we enter a law office the first individual we meet is the legal secretary. She is the one withe responsibility for the correspondence, records,
Typewriters Vs Computers Essay Research Paper Typing
Typewriters Vs Computers Essay, Research Paper Typing vs. Computers Today many people use a computer to do work for their business, home, and school. I am writing a report outlining the differences between using a typewriter and a computer to do work. I will also explain why one machine is better than the other.
Untitled Essay Research Paper Emperor Kanghsi ruled
Untitled Essay, Research Paper Emperor K?ang-hsi ruled China from 1661 to 1722 and his reign is captured by Jonathan D. Spence?s book Emperor of China. The different chapters of the book deal with certain aspects of the Emperors life. Aspects that the history books to normally deal with. The information in Spence?s book is based on Emperor K?ang-hsi?s correspondence, his own writings.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci An
? Advancement Of Learning? And ?Roe-Deer?, Essay, Research Paper spiritual correspondence between man and nature can be illustrated as being a ?spiritual communication? between the two, which is the affect of how they
Letters Of Transit Essay Research Paper Letters
Letters Of Transit Essay, Research Paper Letters of transit Address Unknownby Kressmann Taylor 54pp, Souvenir Press If I were to tell you that a novel made up entirely of letters, just 54 pages long (eight of them blank), came with a New York Times Book Review plaudit on its cover judging it “the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction”, you might think it the mother of all hype.
Nelson Mandela Essay Research Paper Influential Figures
Nelson Mandela Essay, Research Paper Influential Figures During Apartheid Nelson Mandela: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 19, 1918, near Umtata, Transkei. To pursue a political career, he renounced his right to succeed his father as chief of the Tembu tribe. He studied law by correspondence.
Patrick Henry Essay Research Paper
“If this be treason make the worst of it!” These were the words I spoke in my speech against the Stamp Act of 1765. As explained to me by my father and mother, John and Sarah Winston, I, Patrick Henry was born May
Infinity Essay Research Paper The mathematical notion
Infinity Essay, Research Paper The mathematical notion of infinity can be conceptualized in many different ways. First, as counting by hundreds for the rest of our lives, an endless quantity. It can also be thought of as digging a whole in hell for eternity, negative infinity. The concept I will explore, however, is infinitely smaller quantities, through radioactive decay
Infinity Essay Research Paper Most everyone is
Infinity Essay, Research Paper Most everyone is familiar with the infinity symbol, the one that looks like the number eight tipped over on its side. Infinity sometimes crops up in everyday speech as a superlative form of the word many. But how many is infinitely many? How big is infinity? Does infinity really exist?
Romeo And Juliet Modern Essay Research Paper
For my English creative writing assignment, I have chosen to do a letter correspondence between a modern Romeo and Juliet. I have turned the play around a bit, and it differs from the original story. Near the end of the play, the
Business letters
course. The 5 semester. Lesson 12. Theme: Writing styles. Objectives: The students will Identify the different tones found in correspondence (formal, neutral and informal)
Observer Review Be My Knife By David
Grossman Essay, Research Paper Love letters straight from the heart of IsraelBe My Knife David Grossman Bloomsbury Ј16.99, pp307 David Grossman has always been compelled by the distances between people. In his journalism about his native Israel, a special brand of reporting and philosophy and storytelling, he has sought to build little local connections of humanity where the most intractable divisions of politics, ethnicity and hatred existed.
Semantic Fields And Polysemy Essay Research Paper
Semantic Fields and Polysemy: A Correspondence Analysis Approach Semantic Fields Studying semantic fields or literary themes in texts quickly confronts the researcher with a paradox. A computer string search will produce a list of the frequencies of words potentially related to the semantic field. But polysemy–the fact that many words have multiple significations–means that there is an un-measured difference between the potential and the real allusions.