Richard Wilbur Books

I've read all but one of Pulitzer-Prize winner Richard Wilbur's translations of French master playwright Moliere. This is my favorite. I was provoked to laugh out loud many times while reading it, something I rarely do with contemporary comedies, much less ones written in the 17th Century. The School for Wives I found more fresh and delightful than any present-day television sit-com and The Learned Ladies had its moments as well (especially the poetry reading by the pedantic Trissotin).

The School for Wives centers around a man, Arnolfe, who is afraid of being cuckolded. He has raised a girl from when she was very young to know nothing but praying and sewing, so that when she marries she will not have the wherewithal to cheat on him. Of course, a young man in the neighborhood happens to see her while Arnolfe is out. In a series of misunderstandings, the young man ends up enlisting Arnolfe's aid in wooing the girl. Arnolfe's every attempt to thwart their union is in turn thwarted by her. She may have been raised ignorant, but she is not stupid.

The Learned Ladies is, in present context, somewhat misogynist. Much of the comedy revolves around the matriarch of a family who rules her household "like a man." The plot again involves young lovers separated by a willful parent. The daughter of the matriarch wants to wed a young man who is equally in love with her but her mother wants her to wed the stuck-up court poet Trissotin. This is really just a pretext for a lot of the deflation of pomposity at which Moliere excels. For those who like the old battle-of-the-sexes screwball comedies, here is a likely progenitor.

The most famous of Moliere's plays are The Misanthrope, The Hypocondriac and Tartuffe. If you've already read them and like them, then I have no reservation recommending this delightful double-header.

Moliere and Wilbur, though they did not, of course, work together, are a match for Gilbert and Sullivan as a wedding of talents. Each of these plays is very funny and full of insights about human vanity.

Antiworlds & The Fifth Ace, in addition to being the most complete collection of Voznesensky's poems available and offering the reader the Russian originals on facing pages, gives us access to this remarkable poet through equally remarkable translations by well-known American poets.
--- from book's back cover

A special treat is getting inside the mind and marrow of a truly great master craftsman and getting the inside secrets and distilled quintessence of the whats and how to's of creating great, lasting art. The best essay is the short piece on fellow Massachusetts poet, the late Robert Francis. While much of Francis' work is trivial, though technically proficient, his masterpiece has to be Sheep: 'From where I stand the sheep stand still/As stones against the stony hill./The stones are gray/ And so are they./ And both are weatherworn and round,/Leading the eye back to the ground./Two mingled flocks - /The sheep, the rocks./ And still no sheep stirs from its place/Or lifts its Babylonian face.' Wilbur writes how grateful he is for its perfection. Other essays include those on Tennyson, Poe, Milton and one of his favorite subjects: Riddles, alone worth the price of the book. Instead of signing up for a poetry workshop, get this book and its companion Responses: Prose Pieces 1953-76 and go to school with the Master of Rhymecraft.

I absoultely loved it! It is a classic play by a classic author.

This is an utterly charming book that grew out of a game Wilbur played with his family in which each member had to name the opposite of a specific term. The rhymes seem effortless, never strained, and Wilbur has illustrated the thing himself with a series of simple but effective drawings.

Recommended for poetry lovers of all ages.

Book with information, history, photography and maps on the Manzanar National Historic Site for those who wish to learn about and visit. Never mind the haters and the lamers, an important book about an important subject and place often dismissed and ignored, which is part of American and Californian history, and any and all can benefit from visiting here if they keep an open mind and heart. This guidebook is helpful for those who travel alone or with a group. Many participated in the culmination and production of this book over time, including many of the original internees of the original Manzanar camp when it existed during wartime as well as many who were interned in other camps during World War II in the United States. Beautiful book compiled and printed on parchment with many black and white photographs and illustrations, as well as maps, histories and tours laid out to experience. I thank my good friend who is one of the chief curators of this book and member of The Manzanar Committee for the introduction to it, and for spending meaningful quality time with them there. I look forward to my next trip to Manzanar. :) 10/10

After reading Collected Poems(1989); Mayflies (2000) and Catbird's Song (newer essays), this book is a great gap-filler of insight into the mind and marrow of America's greatest living poet. The best essay is on A.E.Housman, a favorite poem titled Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries: 'These, in the day when heaven was falling,/The hour when earth's foundations fled,/Followed their mercenary calling,/And took their wages and are dead./Their shoulders held the sky suspended;/They stood, and earth's foundations stay;/What God abandoned, these defended,/And saved the sum of things for pay.' Wilbur uses this poem as an example of how much the meaning of a great poem resides in its sound, pacing, diction, literary references('Wages of sin is death': Romans 6:23), its convention - the deliberate movement that releases the full and powerful sonority the author intended. This essay alone is worth twice the price of the book. Every serious poet or poem lover needs this by the easy chair.

A SENSE OF PLACE links the human with the natural: people make, and are made by, parts of our earth. Landscape artist and conservationist Alan Gussow has organized 63 well-chosen colorplates reminding us that paintings record the known landscape, the unknown frontier and what might be forgotten once nature and people meet. The book is a beautiful way to get to know the names in landscape art and see how the United States has changed over time: late 16th-century John White's "Indians fishing" in the Virginia colony organized by Sir Walter Raleigh; early 19th-century Thomas Cole's "Landscape with dead trees" and George Catlin's "Prairie meadows burning - Upper Missouri"; mid-19th century stained glass window specialist John LaFarge's "Bishop Berkeley's rock"; late 19th-century David Howard Hitchcock's glowing "Halemaumau" volcano; early 20th-century Marsden Hartley's rambunctious "Smelt Brook Falls" and Charles Sheeler's precise "Rocks at Steicher's"; mid-20th-century Edward Hopper's "Cobb's house" on comfortable Cape Cod and Georgia O'Keeffe's elegant "Sky above clouds II"; and late 20th-century Sidney Goodman's chilling "Landscape with 4 towers" and Anne Poor's delicate "Gertrude's bouquet." Readers get more specifics from William Gaunt's TURNER, Patricia Junker's JOHN STEUART CURRY, and Bernard B. Perlman's PAINTERS OF THE ASHCAN SCHOOL. It also is interesting to do comparison reading into Paul Machotka's CEZANNE and Richard Thomson's CAMILLE PISSARRO.

Exactly how the seller described it, and it arrived in a reasonable amount of time. Great product, great seller.

For those who knows Shakespeare's story, "Othello", it's amazing how similar this is. The only difference is the knowledge of situation by the sharp-tongued maid. Oh, and the deus ex machina ending that abruptly steals the remainder of your breath away (after having laughed so hard at the ridiculous, satirical antics of the antagonist and the idiocy of the protagonist). If you enjoy French humor, this is for you. If not, or if you prefer to cross the thin line between comedy and tragedy, read Othello instead.

This book satirizes the conventions of the time period it was written. It is extremely funny, if you can understand it. The translation is a bit difficult, not for the common reader. I had to truly concentrate to understand everything.
It is short and concise, for those who like a fast accelerating plot.

Intriguing and entertaining, the play Tartuffe is a satire displaying the scandalous truths and facades of the seventeenth century. Although initially written for the people of King Louis the XIV, the book can be read by an every day high school student or adult. Through reading the play the audience is able to see the deception of people and that we can not always judge by what we see. Moliere brings about this concept through his witty play, and in such a manner that you can't put it down. In Tartuffe, Moliere uses the characterization, rhyme scheme, setting, and irony to effectively inform an every day audience about the distinction between appearances versus reality.

Characterization of Tartuffe

The perfect example of a hypocritical facade is displayed in the characterization of Tartuffe; in fact the name can be defined as one resembling false piety of religion. Tartuffe's character doesn't appear until nearly the middle of the play and the first image the audience receives is of him demanding his servant to, "hang up my hair-shirt, put my scourge in place, and pray Laurent for Heaven's perpetual grace. I'm going to prison now, to share my last few coins with the poor wretches there." (Tartuffe 3.2). The scourge and hair-shirt are used as a means of penance and chastisement. Religious ascetics will operate these items in private, showing their true devotion to God and to no one else. Tartuffe, however, made it obvious to the entire household what he was doing. Cleante, the character of reason, expounds upon Tartuffe's character, "those whose hearts are truly pure and lowly, don't make a flashy show of being holy. There is a vast difference it seems to me, between true piety and hypocrisy." (Tartuffe 1.5). If Tartuffe was truly pious, he wouldn't need ratification from others for his good deeds, self-satisfaction would suffice. Although Tartuffe appears holy and raves about his goodness, in reality it is just for show.

Another example of Tartuffe's hypocrisy occurs with Dorine. He tells Dorine to "cover that bosom, girl. The flesh is weak; such sights as that can undermine the soul." (Tartuffe 3.2). Tartuffe might appear offended by the act of seeing a women's chest, however, he doesn't have a problem with sleeping with another man's wife. In the next scene Tartuffe's counterfeit façade is dissolved with Elmire and he offers her "love without scandal, and pleasure without fear" if she will commit adultery with him. To Tartuffe "it is no sin to sin in confidence" and though "some joys are wrong in heaven's eyes, heaven is not averse to compromise." (Tartuffe 4.5). In the scriptures, committing adultery is the third worst sin to commit in God's eyes. Moliere uses this example of Tartuffe's character to expose the many scandals occurring in the seventeenth century with the priests and their inability to remain celibate. Despite the fact priests and those who act pious [such as Tartuffe] appear holy, in reality they sometimes use young girls, committed adultery, and partake in many other scandals.

Not only does Tartuffe aspire to sleep with another man's wife, but also he indulges in the seven deadly sins. While Orgon is away from the house, Tartuffe ate "a leg of mutton and a brace of pheasants," "snored away until the break of day," and "drank four beakers full of port." (Tartuffe 1.4) Tartuffe is supposed to be a devout follower of the son of God. Nonetheless he overstuffs himself, eats too much meat, drinks and oversleeps. Orgon tries defend Tartuffe by saying he "gave him gifts, but in his humbleness he'd beg me every time to give me less." What Orgon doesn't understand is that a Christ-like figure would not accept gifts, and Tartuffe still takes them in, along with wishing to overtake Orgon's household. Tartuffe's sanctimonious display allows the audience to effectively see that he is a hypocrite. Moliere makes it a point to the audience that just because someone appears holy, it does not always hold true and in reality they could be hypocrites.

Characterization of Orgon

Moliere uses the characterization of Orgon to portray a father attempting to control his household when in reality Orgon is gullible and Tartuffe is running the household. Orgon enforces his "fatherly role" upon Mariane telling her Tartuffe is "to be your husband, is that clear" because "it's a father's privilege." (Tartuffe 2.1). He also repeatedly orders the other members in the family around, announcing he is the one giving the orders in the household. (Tartuffe 3.6). Although Orgon attempts to be the one giving the orders in the house, Tartuffe depicts Orgon as growing "more gullible by the day" and that he "could lead him by the nose." (Tartuffe 4.5) Tartuffe is able to get Orgon to sign papers to make him Orgon's only son and heir and eventually Tartuffe takes over Orgon's household. Moliere uses this example to effectively inform his audience that even though we appear to be in control of situations, giving someone too much power and being gullible can lead to a reversal of fortune.

Rhyme Scheme

Another tool Moliere uses to show the difference between appearance and reality is through the rhyme scheme. Moliere employs rhymed couplets to amplify the reading tempo. A rhymed couplet is two lines where the ending syllable of each line rhymes. For example: "there is nothing that I more cherish and admire than honest zeal and true religious fire." (Tartuffe 1.5). The prompt reading symbolizes the frantic disorder of Orgon's household. Although the family tries to put on a façade that they are a perfect aristocratic family of the time, in reality turmoil and conflict subsist throughout the household. This example was true of many families of the time and is also true today.

Setting

The setting also portrays the turmoil of the home and augments the pace of the play. The whole play takes place in the same room in Orgon's home and the characters are constantly entering and exiting the room. This causes chaos and confusion resembling the situation of the family. Moliere efficiently informs the audience that although households [in the 1600s or today] may appear to be perfect on the outside, if you dig a little deeper into the reality, they can be muddled.

Dramatic Irony

Moliere also utilizes irony to expose the difference between demeanor and veracity to the audience. On two occasions the play uses the dramatic irony of Damis or Orgon hiding in a closet or under the table while a conversation between Elmire and Tartuffe is occurring. The first instance has Damis hidden in a closet and the audience gets a whim of Tatuffe's true character. Although Tartuffe "may be pious, he is human too." (Tartuffe 3.3). Tartuffe starts touching Elmire and proclaiming his lusts for her and his pious mask becomes undone. It is not until the second occurrence of dramatic irony that Tartuffe's façade is completely gone and the reality of his lasciviousness is unveiled. Tartuffe tells Elmire "to be his pupil" and he will show her "how to conquer scruple." (Tartuffe 4.5). Once again the audience can see the hypocrisy of Tartuffe. Moliere uses this tool of dramatic irony to show the audience that we can not always believe what we see because, once we truly get to know someone they can be a completely different person than they appeared.

I would highly recommend this book to all people fifteen and over because not only does Moliere give you insights on life, but also he is very entertaining and satirical. Due to the rhymed couplets, the book is a very quick read and it is enjoyable because of the irony and witty diction used throughout. Tartuffe is guaranteed to make you laugh and it will institute deep thinking for those wanting to read an academic work.

Beware! The Dover edition is NOT the wonderful Wilbur poetry translation. It is a lumbering, stilted prose translation based on an 18th century version. The play comes through, but barely. Since no translator was listed and so many reviewers indicated that this was the Wilbur version, I ordered this for my theatre class to read -- disaster! Spend the money on the Wilbur -- it's worth it.

Mayflies served as a reminder to me of the power of poetry...language at its most intense.

Richard Wilbur is the acknowledged living master of formal verse. That means he works in good old-fashioned meter and rhyme. His fans will not be disappointed by this volume, except for its slimness.

If you don't have it already, I recommend his Pulitzer-winning NEW AND COLLECTED POEMS, of which this volume is really just a continuation. MAYFLIES has a healthy dose of translations, including an entire canto of Dante's INFERNO (strange) and scene of Moliere's AMPHITRYON (hilarious!). If there is an over-riding theme, it is of changes and transformations, mostly metaphorical, rather than the Ovidian physical sort.

Wilbur continues harvesting Robert Frost's crops, with several poems about nature and even one about a country wall. The nature poems are mixed with epigrams and lyrics lest you forget that Wilbur can do it all.

My one objection is that this collection really is slim, just 75 pages, much of which is translation. Those on a budget should hold out for a paperback edition, or get the NEW AND COLLECTED.

It would do us all good to occasionally take some time out to read poetry. Words, with their subtle and differing meanings in combination are the backbone of civilization and in the hands of a master can generate so many different emotions. This collection, not all of which are by Richard Wilbur, are shining examples of the craft and art of poetry. Each moved me in different ways every time I read them, demonstrating the he is indeed worthy of his Pulitzer Prize. I highly recommend it for your poetic interludes.

Richard Wilbur, our best living poet of the formal (and yes, often rhyming!) mode, is still writing wonderfully complex, insightful poems. He can be compared to March King John Philip Sousa, who also embraced a formal genre which other composers may have found stultifying. It is evidence of the time-defying talents of both men that their later work is as fresh and engaging as the efforts of their youth, and as unlimited by the highly structured forms they both chose. People hearing a Sousa march today are as taken with its infectious high spirits as those who heard it a hundred years ago. I believe that Wilbur's poems will prove as moving and as enduring. The best poem is the title work, "Mayflies." As a Lay Carmelite I especially savor the lines, "...called to be/ Not fly or star/ But one whose task is joyfully to see/ How fair the fiats of the caller are." Read this life-enhancing poem, and draw nearer to the Caller who created stars and mayflies, and poets too!

This book is 77 pp., half its pages are blank, and it lists for $22. The quality of its poems is uneven; one, "The Gambler," is banal. I'm disappointed in my favorite poet and more so in his publisher.