Comments on: frostiness; veterans

By: Don Share

Don Share — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:14:04 +0000

The Collected Prose of Robert Frost will be published in January, and it’ll be interesting to see what people think; some of the pieces are familiar, and can be found in the Library of America Frost volume, among other places. Mostly, these are speeches and solicted magazine articles (not counting his early “chicken stories” for such periodicals as The Eastern Poultryman), and so reiterate familiar themes. There’s a poignant moment at the very end of the book: a statement written for the 53rd annual dinner of the PSA in 1963, dictated from his hospital bed. It is very brief, and concludes:
“I may wobble when I’m sitting up but I never waver.”
He never did.

By: Henry Gould

Henry Gould — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:50:42 +0000

I’m not sure “amorality” is the right word to define the attitude you describe. Sounds more like pessimism to me. Like those religious thinkers who harp on the consequences of Original Sin and ignore those of Redemption.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:53:50 +0000

Indeed. As Ryan writes: “The suspicious part of Frost saw every beautiful thing that he was capable of as a rock to throw.”

By: Don Share

Don Share — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:42:15 +0000

Harriet readers might also like to read Kay Ryan's essay on the Frost notebooks from the September issue of Poetry, as well as to hear her podcast on the same subject.