Robert Frost is generally considered the first American poet of his generation. He identifies almost exclusively with New England, for most of his poetic attempts to capture the essence of rural life in the New England states. He describes the new desert and the people of the region with great insight and wisdom. Frost is also praised for his use of dialogue and the native wit of New Englanders. Frost has been described as quaint and old-fashioned (Cox 4), a true Yankee poet. However, critics like Malcolm Cowley argue that Frost should not be seen exclusively as an American poet. Frost was virtually unknown before his three-year stay in England. This stay had a great influence on Frost's career, making him a sensation in foreign literary circles and ensuring his success in America (Cowley 3).Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Frost's debut was unremarkable. He was born in San Francisco in 1874. At the age of ten, he moved to New England, which remained his true home for the rest of his life. He married Elinor, a high school classmate, and they had four children. Although Frost wrote poems, few were published. The Frost family settled on a small farm in Derry, New Hampshire, where Robert taught at a local school. Although his chances for promotion seemed promising, Frost was unhappy with the direction of his life. He wanted to write, and in 1912 he decided to abandon his teaching career to devote himself to poetry. Frost had a late start as a serious poet. At the age of 38, he was going nowhere as a poet and he was forced to re-evaluate his life. He sent material to several magazines, but they were rejected. A newspaper, to Frost's dismay, had kept a poem unpublished for three years (Weintraub 301). He realized he had to leave Derry if he wanted to make a living as a writer, and he discovered he could afford it. His grandfather's will left him an annuity of $800, almost the amount of Frost's annual teaching salary. The Frost household, if it budgeted carefully, could attempt to move, at least on a temporary basis. The Frosts debated a suitable location. Robert was considering joining a friend in Vancouver, but Elinor preferred England. Robert is said to have flipped a coin for the final decision; the play chose England (Thompson 388-390). England proved to be the logical choice. For many Americans aspiring to the arts, London was an excellent place. The neighborhood had “a sentimental allure, a psychic value, a professional practicality” (Weintraub 4). Frost could draw inspiration from the English environment and was more likely to make profits abroad. London publishers often took risks with newcomers with potential. Until Frost could establish himself, he could provide for his family without making great personal sacrifices. The cost of living in London was relatively low and Frost's small income could be spread over several years (Weintraub 301). Although he regretted leaving New Hampshire, Frost wanted to break away from his old ties and experience new things. Frost later wrote: “I had no letters of introduction; I didn't know anyone in England. But I felt obliged to lose myself among strangers, to write poetry without further scandal to my friends or family” (quoted inGerber 26). Frost's first house in England, 'The Bungalow', was located in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. Frost spent much time exploring the pastoral outskirts of the region. He found the English countryside very different from the familiar surroundings of New Hampshire. Frost was delighted to notice these differences, and some of his poetry reflects his reaction to his new home, including "In England": Alone in the rain I sat today, on top of a gate beside the path, and a bird approached with a dull beak, And a watery breeze kept blowing cold on the hill behind me... Carla breeze was an English watery breeze, always fresh from one of the seas, and the The country life that the English lead, in beech wood and clover mead, is never far from sailing. The Bungalow's most important contribution to Frost's life was the reawakening of his interest in his earlier writings. Frost had taken a trunk of his old poems to his new home, and one evening he decided to look at them again. At first, he had no goal in mind for the manuscripts, and "he wasn't sure he was doing more than playing a game" (Thompson 396). However, as Frost reread the poems, he began to see the possibility that certain grouped lyrics suggested the thoughts of a young person struggling to find his own direction (Thompson 396-397). The result was Frost's first volume of poetry, collected under the title A Boy's Will. The book contained a sequence of 32 poems traversing seasons and moods, from despair and withdrawal to longing. Frost wanted to establish certain relationships for the reader, so he placed a brief gloss under each heading on the table of contents pages (Weintraub 303). Frost finally felt he could seriously launch his career when he saw the final product. As Frost's home was only 21 miles from London by train, he visited the city often. But at that time he had no literary contacts. Not knowing where to get his volume for publication, Frost turned to his only friend in London, a crime columnist. This friend led Frost to the offices of David Nutt, a small publisher. Frost learned upon his arrival that David Nutt had died, but Nutt's widow offered to look at the manuscript. She accepted the volume. On his next visit to London, Frost agreed to the terms of his contract with the Nutt company. Nutt was given first option to publish Frost's next four books of poetry. Frost was encouraged by this long-term commitment; its future finally appears more precise (Weintraub 304). Frost's travels to London allowed him to meet several influential people. In America, he had rarely encountered others who considered poetry a serious vocation; but in London he was surrounded by them (Weintraub 230). At Harold Munro's poetry bookstore, Frost first met the British poet F. S. Flint. Flint was impressed by A Boy's Will and encouraged Frost to arrange a meeting with Ezra Pound. Pound, also an American, had become the leader of a group of poets known as the Imagists. Pound was known for his sense of poetic expression and he enjoyed introducing young poets to the literary world. Like Flint, Pound was pleased with A Boy's Will and he promised to publish a favorable review of the volume in Harriet Munro's Poetry magazine (Thompson 410-411). Pound kept his promise, and his review praised Frost for his simple, straightforward style. Pound wrote that Frost "'has the good sense to speak naturally and to paint...the thing as he sees it...[He] is without impudence and without affectation'" (qtd. in Gerber 28). The magazine then denounced the American editors who had neglected Frost and repeated certainstatements that Frost had told Pound during their first meeting, including some things that Frost had exaggerated and which he did not expect - or wish - to see in print. Frost appreciated Pound's criticism, although he complained to a friend that Pound had exaggerated it (Weintraub 306-308). Other early reviews of A Boy's Will were much less favorable. The book was published on April 1, 1913 and the first notices quickly followed. On April 5, the Athenaeum published a cautious review, stating in effect that Frost's poems were nice but nothing extraordinary. Later in the week, the Times Literary Supplement approved of Frost's individuality but criticized the obscure endings of his poems, particularly the final stanza of "The Trial by Existence" (Thompson 414-415). Frost was understandably disappointed. Frost's luck changed, however. In September 1913, three new reviews of A Boy's Will were published, one of which appeared in the Chicago Dial. These compounded previous unfavorable reviews by praising Frost for his combination of observation, emotion and the element of surprise. More recent critics also wrote of the simplicity and charm of the poems, which in their eyes surpassed most contemporary poetry (Thompson 425-426). Frost began to emerge from his obscurity in England and America. The positive reviews were a great relief to Frost, who had begun compiling a new volume. After learning of the acceptance of his first manuscript in 1912, he began writing short stories and dramatic dialogues. Most of them were character studies, written in blank verse (Thompson 428). Others were meditative words, inspired by longing for his farm in Derry. Among the latter are examples of Frost's best writing: "Mending Wall," "Swinging Branches," and "After Apple-Picking" (Thompson 432-433). Frost never intended to live in England for more than a few years, and the title of his second book clearly demonstrates his intentions to return to America. Frost believed that North Boston had potential for success at home (Weintraub 315). His reputation as a poet depended on critical opinion regarding his latest volume; this was the turning point where his career would be made or broken. Fortunately, Frost made some important friends before the book was published. His new acquaintances recognized the quality of Frost's poetry and did everything in their power to introduce the public to North Boston. Frost then needed a new circle of friends, as he gradually moved away from the image artists. Pound had reviewed Frost fairly and enthusiastically, but the personal relationship between the two men was strained. Much of the problem lay in Pound's rush to talk about Frost's poetry before anyone else and in Pound's attention to certain younger poets. Frost felt alternately harassed and ignored. He also resisted Pound's attempts to turn him into an imagist, as Frost was trying to cultivate his own style. Frost disliked Pound's bullying and realized that lasting friendship was impossible under the circumstances (Weintraub 311). Frost eventually showed up at Wilson Gibson's door with manuscripts of poems he intended to publish in North Boston. Gibson liked them, and he introduced Frost to his friend Lascelles Abercrombie, a Georgian poet. Gibson and Abercrombie persuaded Frost to look for a cottage in Gloucestershire, where Abercrombie lived "under the thatched roof" as Frost had dreamed of doing (Thompson 439-440). Frost agreed to join Abercrombie as soon as he could sublet his house. Frost had difficultyfinding a tenant throughout the fall and winter, but this additional stay in Beaconsfield and London proved fortunate (Weintraub 317). In February 1913, Frost met and befriended a man named Edward Thomas. Thomas was unknown as a poet, but he was considered a superior poetry writer and critic. Before meeting Frost, Thomas thought his life was going nowhere. Frost managed to bring Thomas out of his depression and encouraged him to write poetry. Following Frost's advice, Thomas soon achieved modest success as a poet. Thomas was a frequent guest in the Frost household, and the two men remained best friends throughout Frost's stay in England (Sergeant 107). Shortly after his introduction to Thomas, Frost purchased 'Little Iddens', a comfortable cottage in Herefordshire. . Compared to the Bungalow, Little Iddens resembled a “fairy house” (Thompson 447). The cabin was primitive, but the idyllic scenery and Frost's friendships made up for the austerities (Weintraub 319). The cottage was surrounded by orchards and sloping meadows, a pleasant place to take long walks with Thomas and collect ideas for future poems. Reviews of North of Boston appeared throughout the summer of 1914, and they were consistent in their praise. Of course, Frost's friends had a lot to do with the early warnings. Thomas wrote the first London review for the English Review. Abercrombie reviewed the book in The Nation, while Gibson's review in The Bookman called North of Boston "the most difficult book of verse that has been published for some time" (qtd. in Weintraub 321). Pound, who was not visibly upset by Frost's rejection, made his own favorable comments in Poetry. More importantly, American critics agreed with British critics. On both sides of the Atlantic, Frost was praised for his lyrical simplicity, his “sound of meaning” (Thompson 457). North of Boston he won over an important American reader, Mrs. Florence Holt of New York. She convinced her husband to contact Mrs. Nutt and discuss publicity rights. After tough negotiations, the Henry Holt Company became Frost's American publisher for the rest of his life. Frost's American position was secure (Weintraub 322). The timing of Frost's success was critical. England was involved in the First World War and Frost had great concerns about its continued existence. On August 20, 1914, he wrote to a friend: “The war is an ill wind for me. The idea of ​​​​publishing other books ends for the moment. Our game is over... So we could go home. ...'" (quoted in Sergeant 139). Frost realized that he could not stay in England much longer if he wanted to pursue his career as a poet. He and his family were invited to stay with the Abercrombies until so that Frost could earn enough to pay for the risky journey back to the United States. The winter months at "The Gallows" were pleasant. There, Frost wrote "The Road Not Taken", which seems to describe the impulse that led him. had driven to England: I should tell this with a sigh Somewhere centuries and centuries from now: Two roads diverge in a wood, and I... one traveler less, and that made all the difference To win. money for his return trip, Frost sold several poems to Monro for poetry and drama, including "The Smile", "Putting the Seed" and "The Cow in Apple Hour." Another poem, "The Sound of Trees", was written at The Gallows and contained a reference to Abercrombie's elm trees. England had been good to Frost's writing, and he had a stack of masterful new verses to take home and publish in America. His, 1979.