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Quote by Randall Jarrell

“Most works of art are, necessarily, bad...; one suffers through the many for the few.”

Author

Randall Jarrell was an influential American poet, born on May 6, 1914, and died on October 14, 1965. His poetry is known for its profound emotion and unique style, considered a significant representative of American poetry in the 20th century. more

“Robert Frost says in a piece of homely doggerel that he has hoped wisdom could be not only Attic but Laconic, Boeotian even - "at least not systematic"; but how systematically Frostian the worst of his later poems are! His good poems are the best refutation of, the most damning comment on, his bad: his Complete Poems have the air of being able to educate any faithful reader into tearing out a third of the pages, reading a third, and practically wearing out the rest.”

Able Reading Pieces Air Worst Reader Pages Thirds Faithful Comment Educate Systematic Frost Having Hope Attics Homely Refutation Laconic

Author:Randall Jarrell

“If my tone is mocking, the tone of someone accustomed to helplessness, this is natural: the poet is a condemned man for whom the State will not even buy breakfast and as someone said, "If you're going to hang me, you mustn't expect to be able to intimidate me into sparing your feelings during the execution."”

Ifs Men Said States Feelings Able Natural Poet Tone Breakfast Execution Accustomed Intimidating Helplessness

Author:Randall Jarrell

“When you're young you try to be methodical and philosophical, but reality keeps breaking in.”

Trying Reality Young Philosophical Methodical

Author:Randall Jarrell

“How can we expect novelists to be moral, when their trade forces them to treat every end they meet as no more than an imperfect means to a novel?”

Mean Ends Force Moral Novel Treats Trade Novelists Imperfect

Book:Pictures from an Institution: A Comedy

Source: Pictures from an Institution: A Comedy

“Most people don't listen to classical music at all, but to rock-and-roll or hillbilly songs or some album named Music To Listen To Music By.”

People Song Rocks Albums Rock And Roll Listening To Music Classical Music Hillbilly

Book:A sad heart at the supermarket: essays & fables

Source: A sad heart at the supermarket: essays & fables

“Christina Stead has a Chinese say, "Our old age is perhaps life's decision about us" or, worse, the decision we have made about ourselves without ever realizing we were making it.”

Made Age Realizing Decision Old Age Chinese Christina

Author:Randall Jarrell

“There are some good things and some fantastic ones in Auden's early attitude; if the reader calls it a muddle I shall acquiesce, with the remark that the later position might be considered a more rarefied muddle. But poets rather specialize in muddles and I have no doubt which of the muddles was better for Auden's poetry: one was fertile and usable, the other decidedly is not. Auden sometimes seems to be saying with Henry Clay, "I had rather be right than poetry"; but I am not sure, then, that he is either.”

Ifs Sometimes Seems Might Attitude Doubt Position Poet Reader Good Things Fantastic Not Sure No Doubt Clay Remarks Fertile Muddle Auden

Author:Randall Jarrell

“Both in verse and in prose [Karl] Shapiro loves, partly out of indignation and partly out of sheer mischievousness, to tell the naked truths or half-truths or quarter-truths that will make anybody's hair stand on end; he is always crying: "But he hasn't any clothes on!" about an emperor who is half the time surprisingly well-dressed.”

Wells Ends Half Cry Hair Clothes Naked Prose Quarters Verses Sheer Emperor Indignation Half Truth Well Dressed Always Crying

Author:Randall Jarrell

“If you look at the world with parted lips and a pure heart, and will the good, won't that make a true and beautiful poem? One's heart tells one that it will; and one's heart is wrong. There is no direct road to Parnassus.”

Ifs World Looks Heart Beautiful Pure Direct Lips Pure Heart

Author:Randall Jarrell

Quote by Randall Jarrell

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