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SURREALISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES, by                

Philip Lamantia's "Surrealism in the Middle Ages" is a multifaceted exploration of time, identity, and poetic tradition, all through the lens of surrealist imagery. The poem reflects Lamantia's deep engagement with the surrealist movement and his own unique poetic voice, blending historical references with vivid, often disjointed images that challenge conventional narrative and perception.

The opening line, "I’m eight years older than Artaud when he died," situates the poet within a specific personal and historical context. Antonin Artaud, a figure associated with surrealism and the Theatre of Cruelty, serves as a touchstone for Lamantia's reflections. The mention of the year 1946, when Artaud declared the world "consolidated," acts as a temporal anchor, suggesting a continuity of existential and artistic struggle. The repetition of "consolidated" in the context of a denser world implies a critique of modernity's increasing complexity and alienation.

Lamantia's voice is confrontational and ironic, addressing a "charlatan" and rejecting the notion of "doppelgängers in my stadium," which might symbolize the rejection of inauthenticity and the struggle for genuine self-expression. The imagery of "obscene photographs burning like lava from Mount Rainier" combines natural and man-made elements to create a powerful visual metaphor for destruction and transformation.

The poem's resistance to labels is evident in the dialogue: "Surrealist? . . . Man, we don’t like those labels, yeh don’t have to label poetry . . . it is, man . . . ." This assertion underscores the fluidity and inherent nature of poetry, resisting the constraints of categorization. Lamantia's self-identification as "preromantic" and his casual reference to "Lady Day" (Billie Holiday) reflect his eclectic influences and his reverence for the emotional intensity of earlier poetic forms.

The poem's structure is fragmented, with images and phrases that leap across time and space. The "winter scape ghost eggs in the pan" and "the material image static on the Ohio River" evoke a haunting stillness, while "breasts of mounds nearing prison" suggests a sense of confinement and anticipation. These images are interwoven with mythological references, such as an "afternoon with Osiris in the stellae," which further deepen the poem's complexity.

Lamantia's language is richly textured, with lines like "hungry snow cycling the land of earth’s horizon" and "medusae in an optic dance" creating a sensory and surreal experience. The poet's mastery of juxtaposition is evident as he shifts from the personal to the mythical, the mundane to the extraordinary. The "loup-garous back from the tropics" and "Scott Joplin’s ragtime" meld different cultural and temporal elements, suggesting a world where boundaries are porous and meanings are fluid.

The poem culminates in a series of images that evoke the vastness and mystery of the natural world. The "Mississippi echoic spangle" and the "sea it can only be the Columbia or the Klamath" situate the reader within the American landscape, while the "Least Sandpiper" and "Violent Ocean" (Pacific) invoke the eternal and the elemental. The poem's closing lines, with their focus on the untamable nature of the Pacific and the "pulverable dunes," reinforce the themes of impermanence and the sublime.

"Surrealism in the Middle Ages" is a testament to Lamantia's ability to weave together disparate elements into a cohesive, though non-linear, tapestry of thought and feeling. The poem challenges the reader to embrace the fluidity of meaning and the interconnectedness of all things, echoing the core principles of surrealism while remaining deeply personal and reflective. Lamantia's work continues to resonate as a powerful example of the potential of poetry to transcend time, space, and conventional understanding.


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