The Enormous Room is a fictionalized autobiographical account of the three months that E. E. Cummings spent in a French prison under suspicion of espionage-a circumstance he could have easily avoided had he professed a hatred of Germans. Instead, when questioned, Cummings answered French authorities in a way that insured that he would accompany his friend ‘B.’ (William Slater Brown), who was indeed guilty of writing letters critical of the French government. The psychologically tense narrative-shocking and provocative in its day-juxtaposes the barbarity and inhumanity of war against the camaraderie and collective spirit of the oppressed. As a piece of writing, it foreshadows the whimsy, humor, pessimism, and jubilance that would come to characterize Cummings’s poetry while, on its own, it stands as a major work of World War I literature. This Warbler Classics edition includes Paul Headrick’s essay ‘Brilliant Obscurity: The Reception of The Enormous Room, ‘ as well as a detailed biographical timeline.
Tabella dei contenuti
Contents
Introduction
I. I Begin a Pilgrimage
II. En Route
III. A Pilgrim’s Progress
IV. Le Nouveau
V. A Group of Portraits
VI. Apollyon
VII. An Approach to the Delectable Mountains
VIII. The Wanderer
IX. Zoo-loo
X. Surplice
XI. Jean Le Nègre
XII. Three Wise Men
XIII.I Say Good-bye to la Misère
‘Brilliant Obscurity’: The Reception of The Enormous Room
Paul Headrick
Biographical Timeline
Circa l’autore
Paul Headrick is a Canadian writer, editor, and reviewer. He currently teaches a graduate workshop at Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio. His books include The Doctrine of Affections and That Tune Clutches My Heart, and a textbook, The Wiley Guide to Writing Essays About Literature.
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