Philomela by John Crowe Ransom
"Philomela" by John Crowe Ransom is a poem that explores the intersection of classical mythology and modern American culture through the lens of the myth of the nightingale. The poem begins by introducing the classical figures associated with Philomela's tragic tale, highlighting a sense of disconnect between the beauty of their names and the violence of the story they tell. Ransom presents a critique of contemporary American poetry, suggesting that Philomela’s sorrowful melody is at odds with a society influenced by Puritan values, which he sees as limiting the appreciation of aesthetic experiences.
The speaker's journey to Oxford, where he seeks the song of the nightingale, symbolizes a quest for deeper understanding, yet he finds the reality disappointing, suggesting a diminished capacity for beauty in modern life. This disappointment leads to a reflective questioning of whether American society can truly honor the mythic qualities embodied by Philomela. The poem ultimately serves as both a critique of American cultural values and a lament for the loss of a more innocent, myth-rich understanding of the world. Ransom's work invites readers to consider the implications of a society more focused on empirical knowledge than on the richness of myth and beauty.
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Philomela by John Crowe Ransom
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1923 (collected in Chills and Fever, 1924)
Type of work: Poem
The Work
“Philomela” opens by naming the players in the classical myth of the nightingale’s origin. To the American speaker, despite the violence of the story, the sound of their names is pleasing, but the power of myth has waned; the speaker finds the tale “improbable.” Philomela’s song of continuing sorrow is not in harmony with modern American poetry.
Elsewhere, the nightingale has found satisfactory homes, but her myth is at odds with the Puritanism that Ransom considers the most influential force in American culture. Ancient Greeks would consider America “barbarous”; though the speaker never explicitly agrees, he separates himself from overall American culture, conceding that Philomela is unlikely to survive in his “cloudless, boundless, public” democracy. At Oxford, the speaker seeks and finally hears the nightingale but declares her song, supposedly the most beautiful of all songs, a bit flat. Disappointed, the speaker leaves her presence.
In the final stanza, the mature speaker addresses Philomela, questioning whether Americans can become worthy of her. A society where bantering has replaced wit and minute analysis has replaced appreciation of the aesthetic whole seems unsuitable for myths; the nightingale belongs in societies where fables seem possible. “Philomela” can be read as an indictment of American aesthetic, but it also deplores the loss of innocence that has led to “post-scientific poetry” and resulted in humans’ limited knowledge of the world, as they ignore what Ransom calls “the world’s body” and substance.
Bibliography
Brooks, Cleanth. “John Crowe Ransom: As I Remember Him.” American Scholar 58, no. 2 (Spring, 1989): 211-233.
Cowan, Louise. The Fugitive Group: A Literary History. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959.
Howard, Maureen. “There Are Many Wonderful Owls in Gambier.” Yale Review 77 (Summer, 1988): 521-527.
Malvasi, Mark G. The Unregenerate South: The Agrarian Thought of John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, and Donald Davidson. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997.
Modern American Poetry Web site. “John Crowe Ransom.” http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m‗r/ransom/life.htm.
Quinlan, Kieran. John Crowe Ransom’s Secular Faith. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
Rubin, Louis D., Jr. “The Wary Fugitive: John Crowe Ransom.” Sewanee Review 82 (1974): 583-618.
Young, Thomas Daniel. Gentleman in a Dustcoat: A Biography of John Crowe Ransom. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1976.