I'm still trying to grasp the idea that Ezra Pound wrote anything that portrayed Jesus in a positive, even "faithful" light. I wrote my Master's thesis on Eliot's The Waste Land, and my grad school advisor (and office mate) was Dr Max Halperen, whose area of expertise was Pound's Cantos.
I'm sure Dr Halperen has long passed on, but I wonder what he would have to say about this.
I'm not saying I doubt you, only that this is rather astounding to read.
Dr Halperen once began a class study of The Four Quartets by announcing "Atheist though I am, I always cry when I read Little Gidding." He and I were quite a pair as office mates: the Jewish atheist professor and the grad student Jesus freak. But for all that we got along well.
I'm surprised because Dr Halperen never hinted at Pound's religious belief. And I know Pound and Eliot were close friends and artistic allies.
Pound's notes on the margins of the original draft of The Waste Land were primary source material for me in writing my thesis. Both artists were openly antisemitic.
There was a poem of Pound's that I vaguely recall portraying Jesus overturning the tables of the moneylenders. The poem celebrates Jesus' manliness, what might now be called his "toxic masculinity," but its point was to emphasize the antisemitic libel about Jewish greed.
Yes, of course you wouldn't doubt its provenance (since it's easy to verify online)! And wow, thanks for sharing. Years ago, when I first discovered the poem, I learned that Pound was a fascist and supporter of Mussolini from his wiki page, and felt surprised at so moving a poem by him about Jesus. Who that says more about, I still don't know. Then again, as I say, I know very little about him. What exactly caused your surprise? The same things?
There is an old legend of Simon Zealotes making his way to the British isles and becoming the first bishop of the Romano/Celtic Church. One wonders if Pound was aware of it. It would have established a connection between Simon and ancient Brittania which more than literary.
I'm still trying to grasp the idea that Ezra Pound wrote anything that portrayed Jesus in a positive, even "faithful" light. I wrote my Master's thesis on Eliot's The Waste Land, and my grad school advisor (and office mate) was Dr Max Halperen, whose area of expertise was Pound's Cantos.
I'm sure Dr Halperen has long passed on, but I wonder what he would have to say about this.
I'm not saying I doubt you, only that this is rather astounding to read.
Dr Halperen once began a class study of The Four Quartets by announcing "Atheist though I am, I always cry when I read Little Gidding." He and I were quite a pair as office mates: the Jewish atheist professor and the grad student Jesus freak. But for all that we got along well.
I'm surprised because Dr Halperen never hinted at Pound's religious belief. And I know Pound and Eliot were close friends and artistic allies.
Pound's notes on the margins of the original draft of The Waste Land were primary source material for me in writing my thesis. Both artists were openly antisemitic.
There was a poem of Pound's that I vaguely recall portraying Jesus overturning the tables of the moneylenders. The poem celebrates Jesus' manliness, what might now be called his "toxic masculinity," but its point was to emphasize the antisemitic libel about Jewish greed.
Yes well, that seems to check out, then! But there's no such motif in the "Ballad," and so it's thankfully not corrupted by the ideology.
Yes, of course you wouldn't doubt its provenance (since it's easy to verify online)! And wow, thanks for sharing. Years ago, when I first discovered the poem, I learned that Pound was a fascist and supporter of Mussolini from his wiki page, and felt surprised at so moving a poem by him about Jesus. Who that says more about, I still don't know. Then again, as I say, I know very little about him. What exactly caused your surprise? The same things?
Dr Halperen
There is an old legend of Simon Zealotes making his way to the British isles and becoming the first bishop of the Romano/Celtic Church. One wonders if Pound was aware of it. It would have established a connection between Simon and ancient Brittania which more than literary.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing