This book presents the emotions of Romantic age in post modern techniques like open-ended works. Readers' responses are prioritized over the writers'; artifact. An individual is created by his/her environment and must adhere to certain social norms. This necessitates the creation of a 'persona' where the real self remains unexplored. Ashbery and other contemporary poets like Charles Bernstein & John Fitzgerald unravel the multiple layers of the mind (conscious, subconscious & the unconscious) to manifest the hidden feelings and emotions. Describing the real self is challenging if not impossible, the poets often imply that they want to describe something but is thwarted in the process. Words, socially accepted and understood are inadequate to describe the feelings in the deep recesses of the mind. The quoted texts from the works of the contemporary American poets tell about the complex ways in which our mind functions. The second chapter narrates how Ashbery combines the heart of a Romantic with the mind of a postmodernist. Many poems of Ashbery echo the essence of Romantics like Wordsworth or Shelley. The opening lines of Ashbery's poem 'Aclove, ' in Planisphere (2009): "Is it possible that spring could be/ once more approaching?" echoes at Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind, ' where the poet apprehends the arrival of spring: "if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" The third chapter of the book ruminates on the essential similarities between 'action painting' and contemporary poetry. Abstract expressionist painters like Jackson Pollock often present works of art which allows complete freedom to the artist and are open to the multiple interpretations of the viewers. An attempt is made to capture the process of creating an art work. Most of the postmodern works of art focus on 'how' it is created instead of a tidy final product. The process of creation is one of the important themes in Ashbery's award winning work, 'Self -portrait in a Convex Mirror.' The thought process including the distractions are manifest in the poem. The fourth chapter discusses the language movement and the writings of Charles Bernstein with other contemporaries. Systematic derangement of language like abolition of prepositions or composing an entire piece of writing comprising solely of prepositional phrases, rewriting any other work, adding gerund to every line are some of the experiments done by contemporary Language Poets. They capture the thoughts in their nascent states and alter the forms of the moment perceived. The book examines the process of experimentation and new techniques of writing as well. The aim is to draw the readers' attention to the contemporary developments in American literature. This will definitely boost the inquisitiveness of the readers who have a penchant to explore the process of creation.
About the Author: The writer is an academic professional and an avid reader. She has done a PhD. on Contemporary American literature. With 10 years of teaching experience, she brought this book on students' demand to highlight the developments of contemporary American poetry. She has published papers on different international academic journals which being a member of the editorial & advisory committee. With a passion for research she has presented papers on various conferences.