The sun., 1919-04-13
Louis Untermeyer
as a Poetry Critic

dS i OClly OllllN
By CONSTANCE MURRAY GREENE
TN speaking Of A NeW Era In America"
i Poetry, Louis Untermeyer's snappy
spring volume, there is no need to go
afeld for words. Stranded on a desert
island with this book we would guarantee
to contribute indefinitely criticism of a
vigorously polished nature on any variety
Of poet. 1t is collection of articles, re-
views and digressions which have ap-
peared during the last seven or eight
years, and while we would not be willing
to say Of it, as Mr.. Untermeyer does Of
another, that ''this Tome crunIbles under a
great weight of words" there are distinct
signs of lettering.
"For the first time great part OF
American letters is actually American.
Poetry has swung back to actuahty, to
heartiness and lustihood, and most of all
to democracy. The poet has been set free
to face the weller and struggle and beauty
of the modern world. But unless Inc can
make his world as actual and convincing
as our own, he will fail" Later on we
are to discover that the mere writing of
actual poetry is not enough; "factuar'
poetry is the thingl
Mr. Untermeyer gives first consideration
TO Robert Frost, who, he believes, has ex-
pressed the poetic feeling for ordinary
life more simply and richly than any
other of the young poets Of our day.
James Oppenheim's work is next eonsid-
cred; "a violent contrast to that of Frost,
showing the greatness of the sweep en-
compassed by the new spirit in our htera-
ture." We wish Mr.. Untermeyer wouldn't
keep calling it our literature when we all
know 1t is his. He knows what volumes
"will occupy a significant if not prom
inent place when the critical history of
American literature is compiled" and
provided he is living at that time in this
or another guise, he will undoubtedly
write it.
In the ease of his principals, the great
stars in his literary armament, he has
shown admirable thoroughness, mention
ing each of their books in turn and quot
ing layishly besides offering really val
liable information about their lives, which
is sometimes extremely difficult to obtain.
g rx-alinnc
Vachel Lindsay he allows is minstrel
turned missionary; a corn fed Apollo
singing to convert the heathen.' Carl
Sandburg's "uplifted eoarseness, his al
most animal exaltation, which is none the
less an exaltation," finds great favor. The
startling fact is revealed that Mr.. Inter
meyer and Harriet Monroe (and possibly
Mr.. Masters) have discovered that it was
Sandburg who shook Edgar Lee Masters
out of his literary rut and spurred him to
write the Spoon River anthology. This,
We should say, ought to give Sandburg
prominent place in the Critical History of
American Literature.
1t is in the chapters Of Masters that we
have found the most profound enjoyment.
You may agree or not with what Mr..
Untermeyer has to say-that is neither
here nor there-but you will not fail to
find delight in watching him lay himself
and his victim out Mr. Masters, unless
we know him less than we believe, will get
quite as much pleasure out of it as the
rest of us. Having departed from Spoon
River, where in the minds Of most critics
Masters should live and die to be neatly
buried beside his creations, our literary
guide does not allow that he has done any
very fine work. at is an al
most tragic thing to leave these epic
heights" he says, "and turn to Masters's
succeeding three volumes. The mantle of
a pedagogic prophet is put on in Songs
and Satires; in The Great Valley, jum-
bled scientific learning sits heavily on the
poet, and in Toarard the Gulf he sinks