THE LITERARY CAREER OF WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODY AS
THE LITERARY CAREER OF WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODYAS SEEN IN HIS LETTERSbyDorothy L. KearneyA Thealeeubeltted to the faculty of theDepartment of Englishin partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree ofMaster of Artsin the Graduate CollegeUniversity of Arisons1947
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'?'79//? //'Sof-'.'JTABLE OF CONTENTSPAGEINTRODUCTIONCHAPTERI.1A THEORY Of THE ART OFP O E T R Y .5II.THEPOET AS S T U D E N T . 33III.THEPOET AS TEACHER ANDE D I T O R . 35IV.THEPOET AS DRAMATIST. 49V.THE ACHIEVEMENT OF WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODY .B I B L I O G R A P H Y . 80J18710766
IIBtQDUCTIQIMoody is to examine the discrepancy between what now ithe extravagant praise of his friends and the presenteiously maintained that his aohieveaents should placetire, and especially more recent, opinion would placewhom Moody married during the last year of hie life,provides a new opportunity to understand Moody* s genuinemodesty and the embarrassment to which the enthusiasm ofhis friends subjected him, and, at the same time, theyexplain why he inspired such admiration.In addition,a careful examination of these personal letters revealsa man who was an idealist of genuine talent and anartist of the highest aspirations.of the literary aims of Moody as they oan be discernedin hie critical work and in hie letters, and as theythat William Vaughn Moody, always a persistent thinker
2@ b the larger questions of the nature of poetry, did nothave an original or a carefully formulated theory of theart of poetry.He m s rather an eoleotio, selectingfrom the ancient and m o d e m poets certain principlesto be followed in hie poetry.Although we shall callMoody1s literary aims a theory of poetry, it is not tobe understood as a complete or logically self-sufficientphilosophy o f .art.:; :. .-: i -. .;:. . , ' .Moody1s writings are inseparably, joined with theenvironment in which he lived.At all periods of hislife, he was particularly sensitive to both the stimu lating and the depressing influences of his associationMoody*s achievement in literature is possible without,first, a knowledge of his intention and, second, anunderstanding of the influences which oan be discoveredfrom a study of the-letters and from other biographicalsources.Chapter two recounts the career of Moody as astudent at Harvard; chapter three reviews his career asuniversity teacher and editor in Chicago; and chapterfour deals with the. career of Moody as he wrote in thefield of drama while in Hew York.With this review ofthe life and work of Moody and a summary of his literaryaims clearly before us, we are prepared in chapter five
3to re-evaluate the achievement and understand the characterof a minor but nevertheless interesting literary person ality.The eorks of William V&ughn Moody consist of onevolume of short poems, tvo poetic dramas. The Masque ofJudgment and The Fire Bringgr: and two prose plays. TheGreat Divide and The Faith Healer,hone-volume historyof English literature, the Cambridge edition of thecomplete poetical works of John Milton, and. introduc tions and notes to seven editions of the classics forhigh schools comprise his critical and editorial work.Critical essays referred to in this paper are:Robert Mores Lovett* s introduction to Selected Poems ofWilliam Vaughn Moody. John M. Manly* s introduction toPoems and Poetic Dramas of William Vaughn Moody.Daniel Gregory Mason* a introduction to Some Letters ofWilliam Vaughn Moody. Percy MacKaye*s introduction andconclusion to Letters to Harriet, and David D. Henry* sThe bibliography includes a list of Moody* s majorpublished works, a list of his earlier rejected poems,andalist of studies end articles referred So in thisthesis.An indication of the great interest that M sbeen shown in the career of Moody is seen by the scope"
4of the bibliography of critical comment on Moody whichappears in David D. Henry’s William Vaughn Moody. A,Study.Percy HacEaye has brought the Henry bibliog raphy up to date by the additional material in hisbibliography to Letters to Harriet.
his works either in part or as a whole,m e present re qualities in the artist or in his art have kept Moody fromA comprehensive analysis of the life and works of Moodywill follow in subsequent divisions of this paper.The pur pose of the present chapter has been to examine Moody* s the ories concerning the function and end of poetry and its ap propriate form.With an understanding of these literarytheories, we can oooe close to an understanding of Moody andof bis works.It must be kept in mind tii&t William yaug m Moody, poet,playwright, oritlo and editor of much promise and some dis tinction at the turn of the twentieth century, was a scholarlong dedicated to the great traditions of poetry.At notime were his life and art separated;' he lived for hie artand as a student and great appreoiator of literary forms.Thus one sees from a study of his letters and from accounts
6of his life that hie theories of the art of poetry arethose of a man who admired the "great* poets and who as pired to match them in achievement.While a student atHarvard* Moody, in hie early poetic attempts,1 became animitator of the nineteenth century writers, notably Keats,Wordsworth, Shelley, Tennyson, Browning, Rossetti,Swinburne— and even of Kipling and William Morris.2laterfrom readings and study, he chose as his masters, Euripides,Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, and, later. Whitman.He bad athorough and well grounded knowledge of literature and fromeach of these many poets who influenced him, he acceptedand made his own some practicable principle of their art.Speaking of the outgrowth of this early study, Robert MorseLovett, one of his fellow teachers, has said;-vIt is Moody1s strength and glory that he workedin the great tradition of poetry. A scholar byinstinct, he went to the past not only with hismind but with his heart. Its learning, its technique, he brought to the service of a spiritessentially modern.3;The epithet of "ancient yet modern* seems particularly aptfor Moody.The characteristics of the ancient Greeks, ofthe English "masters," and of the introspective romanticistswere paradoxically fused in the poet and the man.Moody1ework seems to have been dedicated to the revered past and1. See bibliography. . . .3. R. H. Lovett, "Memories of William Vaughn Moody, * Atl&nMSi m m il* CZLVII (March, 1931), 385-393.3. ibl ., p. 393.
fyet marked by fidelity to experience of the present.Onefinds in Moody's poetry an adherence to the older standardsof stanza form* diction, and rhythm.It is in his aware ness of contemporary issues that one notices the spirit ofthe conscientious modern.Despite Lovett's contention thatMoody held to a fundamental tenet of contemporary workman ship— freedom of manner and thought, * Moody was not inter- ested in contributing new techniques to American letters.Specifically, there is nothing essentially new in Moody'sbelief as to what constitutes poetry or what the role ofpoet should be. y'Early in hie life Moody observed that not every one isendowed with the creative spirit. He believed ferventlythat instinct for poetic expression is a divine gift thatmust first be inherent with the individual before it can beexercised or cultivated*The poet thus empowered by divineinspiration has foresight and knowledge to comprehend lifeand the fuller meanings of beauty and truth,m i l e still ayouth. Moody felt that he was one of the fortunates whopossessed the creative spirit, and became, therefore, everwatchful for supernatural inspiration.In his comprehensivestudy, David Henry testifies to Moody's belief in his poeticcapability**d* ft. M. Lovett,- Introduction,p
He c Moody 3 nae full of life, posseseing an exuberanoe of animation which Inevitably created a re sentment against any harness which was plaoed uponhim. Moreover he was constantly alert for anysignal which Poetry might give to him. He believedliterally in supernatural revelation and inspira tion, and he felt* quite modestly always, that hehimself was one of those capacitated to receivein one of hie letters. Moody testified to his receiving in spiration and hints at other such moments:,To speak plainly, as I was walking along the streetand thinking of nothing but the good taste of theair, suddenly something clicked inside my head, akaleidoscopic down-rush and up-thrust and overtumble of broken pictures and half-thoughts passedbefore my mind, whirled a minute, settled intoplace, and behold! there was the third part of mytrilogy. For an hour, or a quarter of a seoond,or however long it lasted, it was as plain asprint and as perfect as the atomic structure of ajewel. This morning it is dim and disjointedagain, but that does not much discourage me, forI have seen it once and I shall see it again,according to all the precedents in ay mentalhistory .56Poetry then, to Moody, is the self-revelation of the poet.The deity enhances the poet's perspective powers and giveshim the all important imagination to see and use universaltruths in giving added meaning to life experiences.TheAristotelian theory that the poet must see the universal inthe particular was one which Moody adopted as his own.Thisexalted conception of the poetic function Martha Shackfordobserved in Moody, and she wrote that Moody:5. P. D. Henry,VauafrBM8Q&X.A Study, pp. 36-37.6. Percy UaoKaye, ed., Letterp jo Harriet, p. 334.
9. is the associate of older truths, of laherIted ideas which he ims pondered with all of apoet»s kindling passion, and which he, in his era,seeks to understand and to transcend in a fuller,richer meaning, if possible."If the end of the poet ie to write so as to bringlarger interpretations of life to hie audience, the poetthen must indirectly or directly assume the role of teacheror counselor.Koody observed that. great poets of the past have been no meredabbers in the material of life . They have beenmen of definite elear-cut convictions. They havesought to express life as it appeared to them andto relate and bring to a focus the seemingly di verse elements of human existence. Moody* s poems, plays, and criticism are evidence that Moodybelieved that no poet can be great without at the same time:'. ,, -. .possessing something of toe philosophic spirit.; -Althoughthis point of view is prominently formulated in Moody* swork, his poetic philosophy, like that of Wordsworth, isunsubstantiated either by proof or reasoning.Life, hefelt, should be looked at as a whole and steadily.Conse quently, in his art, there runs a deeper purpose than thatof lyrical ecstasy or emotional response to beauty.Thehidden meaning of life fascinated him— yet perplexed him— ''-* *-and we know from his poetic themes that to him the poetshould not be an unthinking hedonist but must advance as7. H. H. Shaokford, “Moody*a The Fire Bringer* for Today,**Sewanee Review, XX?I (October, 1918), 407-16.8*8. N. F. Adkins, “The Philosophy of William Vaughn Moody,**Texa. Review. IX (January, 1984), 9T-U8.
asquestioner or protestor.The philosophic or didaetio spirit lends intellectualsity to poetry.Emotions and feelings may have their seay;yet the intellect must serve to restrain and add coherenceto the didacticism.As the critic, Dickinson, has comment ed* Moody had #the forthright quality . of coming togrips with tiie spirit of the age and expressing a messagewith force and pure beauty.*9All hie art proceeded frommoral convictions and mental necessity.Dickinson furtheradds that Moody »wrote because he had something to .say thatappeared to him to be of moment.810philosophicalIn the treatment oftheses, Moody used a widesymbolism inwhichthe message was to be relevant to man in his human and divine relations.In addition, if the poet believes that hisduty is to use the creative spirit to gain large and fullermeanings from observation of life, then the trivial will holdno attraction for him.Hie subjects will be generally ofweighty implications.A grouping of Moody* s shorter poemswill show M s high seriousness.These poems; fall into sev eral clearly defined categories#Social and Political prob lems, Religion, Philosophical Inquiry, the quest of Ideal ism, hove, woman, and Mature.will follow in later chapters.A discussion of these poemsMoody merged in his poetry the9. T. K. Dickinson. Playwrights of the Hew American Thoaterr**"p* JLww *1010. Ibid. a P. 136.
oh&raoteristioa of thinker and singer.In viewing life in America, Moody found elements aboutwhich he m s assured that the poet should speak.Intenselypatriotic and yet free-thinking, Moody protested againstthe orthodox religion of hie day, against increasing Amer ican nationalism, and against the materialism and uglinesswhich accompany industrialisation.The Moody who was ascholar and in his own words “an ancient,# was in conflictwith the Moody who was the modern and the patriot.he became a protestor, a questioner.Thus,Nelson Adkins in dis cussing Moody1s philosophy underscores this conflict:Disturbed and shocked by the dieerepaaoies, dishar monies, and injustices of human life that dailyleft their stings in hia sensitive soul, he soughtin his poetry to spin subtle harmony out of rankchaos, and to call forth life and beauty fromdistorted and sundered poles of human thought andemotion . Broadly speaking, people may be divid ed into two classes. There are those who see life ,from the visionary*s standpoint,— who create forthemselves a world apart from other men, and livein the realm of their own imagination. There are- others who are purely practical. These are oftenso violently in love with life and the very joy ofexistenoe as quite to forget the things of thespirit, finding no stimulus in imagination, nopleasure in emotional experience. Moody not only observed in others these two divergent tendencies. but . he experienced within his own soul thetwo antagonistic forces, as now one and now theother sought to: gain mastery over him. For thepeace of his soul Moody sought to adjust these twowarring elements.*111. Adkins, on. oit. p. 98.
13When Moody protests and tries to reconcile these "earringelements,* we see the struggle that exists between M e ;idealism and his social conscience.Religion, m t i o m l l s m ,and the social problems of industrialism wore subjects towhich Moody,:the modern, could not close his eyes.-. v;: '-In writing about Moody* s revolt against the theologyof his day, Henry has concluded in hie studysAlthough much of Moody* s poetry is of a religioustrend, most readers are Impressed by the seemingconfusion of his religious ideas. JCn Moody wefind neither conformity to or ooasistenoy withoonventlonal belief. At one time he.is iconoclas tic, at another passionately devout.1 Of this we can be sure t Moody was no creedist, no conven tional theologian.Brought up and trained in the religiousatmosphere'of strict:Puritanism; Moody early found himselfout of sympathy with the Puritan plan of salvation,thedoctrine of divine sovereignty* of racial sin, as*l impend ing judgment fell far short of Moody* s concept of a benevo lent God.He could act reconcile Puritan belief in sin andjudgment with M s own optimistic religion.Furthermore,Moody felt that there were times when he had direct commu nication with a sympathetic Ood.for outer expression.This inner revolt called.-v.v -Moody s o u n d s the patriotic note during M s era.'How ever his loyalty to country was. not blind or without criti cism.There m s a quail ty of uncompromising patriotism—13. Henry, .cii./p. eo.7'
13ay country to stake It right.can and he would have M enoble destiny.Hie roots were deeply Aaeri-country fulfill its proaieing andAt all costs,' he would have her remain un-,sullied and Innocent of grasping ,innerialism. : Recognizinghie part as.patriot. Moody wrote with frankness and candorof the problems close to the heart.of M s fellowman.;Thereis a note of national pride in a letter which he wrote toEdmund atedman;. . I am at bottom moreespecially for the poetry whichnized as in a large,sense Aaerlifor my own poems .13Hot only was Moody*s fire directed against America's nationa U e m , but it was-leveled against the evils of increasingindustrialization.As Brace Weiriok has put it:"What hehated was . our commercial oraesness and our outer ugli ness."i*it is true that he disliked the ugliness connectedwith industrial pursuits, but what he feared outright vaethe materialistic spirit w M c h it reflects.Moody recogniz ed that the concern for economic right could result in misplaced social values.Thus, of paramount concern to Moodywere the preservation of character and the salvation of thepersonality of individuals from the complexities of socialorganization, from standard!zation of life.13. D. G. Mason, ed., jp. 150.I LottarB14- - ? % rlok» B 2 B toltman laP* *»9e .We can see now*41of William Vqv«lin Moody,iai22*l S . Poetry.
political, and social— in full accord with his belief thatallied theories of what poetry la and what is the function .of the poet.First, poetry is the reflection of the crea tive spirit within the poet.gift from the divine.This creative instinct is aSecond, poetry is the poet1s self-revelation and must be expressed so as to lead to a fullerunderstanding of life in all its spiritual and moral values.And third, the poet must possess the philosophic spirit inorder to have meaning for his age*Therefore, the poeticsubjects to be used by the poet are those which hold signif icant meaning for that a g e . . These principles are basic in ,Moody* s art -and are the result *of hie study and reading.,If we look now at Moody as critic, .editor, .and univer sity teacher, we can discover the principles of form andtechnique which he thought necessary to true poetic expres sion.Moody s venture into prose criticism sets chiefly theresult of the desire to augment his teaching salary andthus allow himself time to devote to his art and to travel.He regarded his critical comments and editing mostly as hack 'labor. iJevertheless, hi# .mpltloisms are disoernlng a n d ,readable, and they enabled him *to crystallise his opinion#on the poet’s craft and to put them into definite
15pronouncements.*15The bulk of his prose ozitioisa*6 Is notlarge; It consists chiefly of introductions and notes for aseries of editions of the classics for high schools.WilliamVaughn Moody also collaborated with his friend and colleague,Robert Mores Lovett, in writing A History of English Liter ature. - This one-volume history has been generally recog nized as a superior piece of scholarship.His editorial andcritical work shows Moody to have been a penetrative critic.He analyzed studiously the technique of writers such asBunyan, Milton, Scott, Coleridge, Lowell, Bop#, sod Be Quinoey.In making editions of those writers. Moody came to recognizecertain techniques which he was later to apply in hie works.He noted with relish, for example, the “joy" poetry ofMilton's early years and “all the warm and gorgeous imagerywhich clusters about the Hebraic idea of paradisiac love.1117. - .: ; ;When citing the sensuous and spiritual in Milton's vital.'conceptions. Moody anticipated his own use of this qualityin poetic dramas.He admired, too, # e organ-toned lan guage of the great poet; it is Moody, the poet, that wishedto equal such achievement who says:. Milton's imagination takes fire, the imagesgain in majesty and richness, and the languagegathers a kingly oonfidenoe of rhythm and phrase,176515. Henry, 2 E. sli., p.137.16. See bibliography.17. The Complete Poetical Works of John Hilton. CambridgeEHTtion (ReviseS) , p 7 70.
ISashadowed but triumphant anisiciBglgfMoody was fascinated by word-sense.liket
volume of short poems, tvo poetic dramas. The Masque of Judgment and The Fire Bringgr: and two prose plays. The Great Divide and The Faith Healer, h one-volume history of English literature, the Cambridge edition of the complete poetical works of John Milton, and. introduc tions and not
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