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From: Linnea Hendrickson <lhendr>
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 09:46:28 -0600
Barbara Scotto (Hi, Barbara!) wrote:
On the other hand, if the poem is written as a narrative poem (The Highwayman, for example, which was illustrated beautifully by Charles Mikolaycak), then it seems to me that the illustrator can have a go at it. Since the purpose of the poem is to tell a story, the illustrations will generally not attempt to change the meaning. Of course, one might say that "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" tells a story, but the poem was not expressly written to tell the story. Frost is expressing a feeling, an emotion, a deeper meaning, and the story is only incidental to this. When it is illustrated as a picture book (as Susan Jeffers did), the story becomes the main focus, which is contrary to Frost's intention.
Two unrelated points in response:
(1) I like Mikolaycak's illustrations for the The Highwayman, but I love Charles Keeping's which I think really interpret the feelings in the poem on another level.
(2) I feel uneasy about determining an author's intent. The journey in
"Stopping by Woods" was almost certainly intended by Frost as a metaphor for ---?? -- well, I suspect there are almost as many answers to that as there are readers. But, the the story of the journey, and the lingering in snowy woods as night draws near on the "darkest evening of the year," certainly can be visualized, and has been in many ways, by numerous readers, and by one artist's vision executed on paper and published as a children's picture book (Jeffers'). I wonder what other illustrations, if any, have been done of this poem?
Rather than violating Frost's intent, I see an effort such as Jeffers' as making more concrete the images of the poem and bringing it closer to the physical world. I see a parallel here in Monica's account of the children illustrating their own versions of Jabberwocky. Such an exercise helps us relate to the words in another way. When we teach writing, we always say, show, don't tell. Even though a poem may be more about feeling or thinking than about the metaphors it uses to invoke these deeper or higher or more abstract thoughts, I don't think it is harmful to begin with the concrete.
When Keats writes of the strenuous tongue that "Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine," is the experience diminished or enhanced by attempting to crush a grape in one's own mouth?
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 09:46:28 -0600
Barbara Scotto (Hi, Barbara!) wrote:
On the other hand, if the poem is written as a narrative poem (The Highwayman, for example, which was illustrated beautifully by Charles Mikolaycak), then it seems to me that the illustrator can have a go at it. Since the purpose of the poem is to tell a story, the illustrations will generally not attempt to change the meaning. Of course, one might say that "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" tells a story, but the poem was not expressly written to tell the story. Frost is expressing a feeling, an emotion, a deeper meaning, and the story is only incidental to this. When it is illustrated as a picture book (as Susan Jeffers did), the story becomes the main focus, which is contrary to Frost's intention.
Two unrelated points in response:
(1) I like Mikolaycak's illustrations for the The Highwayman, but I love Charles Keeping's which I think really interpret the feelings in the poem on another level.
(2) I feel uneasy about determining an author's intent. The journey in
"Stopping by Woods" was almost certainly intended by Frost as a metaphor for ---?? -- well, I suspect there are almost as many answers to that as there are readers. But, the the story of the journey, and the lingering in snowy woods as night draws near on the "darkest evening of the year," certainly can be visualized, and has been in many ways, by numerous readers, and by one artist's vision executed on paper and published as a children's picture book (Jeffers'). I wonder what other illustrations, if any, have been done of this poem?
Rather than violating Frost's intent, I see an effort such as Jeffers' as making more concrete the images of the poem and bringing it closer to the physical world. I see a parallel here in Monica's account of the children illustrating their own versions of Jabberwocky. Such an exercise helps us relate to the words in another way. When we teach writing, we always say, show, don't tell. Even though a poem may be more about feeling or thinking than about the metaphors it uses to invoke these deeper or higher or more abstract thoughts, I don't think it is harmful to begin with the concrete.
When Keats writes of the strenuous tongue that "Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine," is the experience diminished or enhanced by attempting to crush a grape in one's own mouth?
-- Linnea Linnea Hendrickson Albuquerque, NM Lhendr at unm.edu http://www.unm.edu/~lhendrReceived on Sat 26 Apr 2003 10:46:28 AM CDT
