393
404 394
405 395
406 396
407 397
408 398
409 399
410 400
411 401
412 402
413 403
414 404
415 405
416 406
417 407
418 408
419 409
420 410
421 411
422 412
423 413
424 414
425 415
426 416
427 417
428 418
429 419
430 420
431 421
432 422
433 423
434 424
435 425
436 426
437 427
438 428
439 429
440 430
441 431
442 432
443 433
444 434
445 435
446 436
447 437
448 438
449 439
450 440
451 441
452 442
453 443
454 444
455 445
456 446
457 447
458 448
459 449
460 450
461 451
462 452
463 453
464 454
465 455
466 456
467 457
468 458
469 459
470 460
471 461
472 462
473 463
474 464
475 465
476 466
477 467
478 468
479 469
480 470
481 471
482 472
483 473
484 474
485 475
486 476
487 477
488 478
489 479
490 480
491 481
492 482
493 483
494 484
495 485
496 486
497 487
498 488
499 489
500 490
501 491
502 492
503 493
504 494
505 495
506 496
507 497
508 498
509 499
510 500
511 501
512 502
513 503
514 504
515 505
516 506
517 507
518 508
519 509
520 510
521 511
522 512
523 513
524 514
525 515
526 516
527 517
528 518
1 Introduction
Mary McAleer Balkun, Jeffrey Gray, and Paul Jaussen
In his 1919 essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” T.S. Eliot observed that the creation of a new work of art necessarily changes those that preceded it: “The existing monuments form an ideal order among themselves, which is modified by the introduction of the new (the really new) work of art among them” (1920, para. 4). In the case of poetry, new work changes the way we look at Emily Dickinson’s fascicles or modernist images, for example, or indeed what we decide to call “American” poetry. Like works of art, critical paradigms can refine methods, broaden contexts, and reorganize the field of poetics, transforming what scholars value or understand about poems. The New Criticism, for instance, raised the profile of the lyric poem in the early twentieth century,