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Auden’s “silent dissolution”

October 3, 2010 by Steve Mentz Leave a Comment

Where I go, words carry no weight: it is best,

Then, I surrender their fascinating cousel

To the silent dissolution of the sea

Which misuses nothing because it values nothing

Whereas man overvalues everything…

Auden’s great poetic commentary & meditation on The Tempest, which is also very much a poem of a European fleeing Europe during WWII, operates throughout between the dissolving opacity of the sea and the artistic fantasy of the mirror.  It’s a strange and gorgeous poem, though I’m not always sure in re-reading it whether it’s a hymn to the power of art or a lament about human failure.

I suppose that I see the same deep ambivalence in The Tempest as well.

We won’t have too much time at the NYPL on Tuesday to talk about Auden, so let’s bring him online for the next few days.  It’s a poem to chew on.

Filed Under: E. 110 Fall 2010

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Steve Mentz
Professor of English
St. John’s University
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HypocriteRdrHypocrite Reader@HypocriteRdr·
10h

"There is no long-term survival plan for humans in the ocean." @stevermentz on the loneliness of the long-distance swimmer: http://hypocritereader.com/61/swimming-lessons

#swimming #ocean #environment #memoir #essays #longreads #literature

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stevermentzSteve Mentz@stevermentz·
10h

Very excited for this conversation next month hosted by @ASLE_US with so many excellent #bluehumanities voices

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