Known for his maxim "make it new," Ezra Pound played a principal role in shaping the modernist movement as a poet, translator, and literary critic. Yet readers grapple with his poetry's complex structures and layered allusions and his known fascism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny. This volume offers strategies for guiding students toward the rewards of Pound's works while embracing the challenges they pose.
The first section, "Materials," catalogs the print and digital editions of Pound's works, evaluates numerous secondary sources, and provides a history of Pound's critical contexts. The essays in the second section, "Approaches," address Pound's aesthetics, persona, beliefs about economics, fascination with Asian culture, classical source materials, contributions to literary movements, and poetic techniques.
