Ezra Pound transformed his style of poetry when he wrote The Adams Cantos in the 1920s. But what caused him to rethink his earlier writing techniques? Grounded in archival material, this study explores the extent to which Pound's poetry changed in response to his reading of 17th-century American History and the social climate of the pre-war period. Drawing on the Ezra Pound papers, David Ten Eyck documents the changes to Pound's documentary techniques, establishing a chronology of the composition of The Cantos. His close readings of specific passages, set against the interwar years, allow Ten Eyck to gain insights into Pound's 1930s political and social criticism. Through references to the annotated copy of The Works of John Adams, he explores Pound's engagement with Adams at the expense of Thomas Jefferson: a figure formally at the heart of his previous work. Ultimately, this contextual and archival study uses John Adams and America to unlock the fascist beliefs and the later poetry of Ezra Pound.

The Cantos of Ezra Pound is the most important epic poem of the twentieth century.

Pound's 800 page Cantos, written over a period of more than fifty years (1917-1969), invites the reader to join the poet on a journey from darkness and despair towards light and positive activity. In this book, George Kearns addresses the reader approaching The Cantos for the first time. He examines the poem's aesthetic and political-ethical-didactic dimensions and shows that despite its complexity and the many objections which can be raised to its poetics and politics, its study can be greatly rewarding.

This is a collection of essays on The Cantos by Poundian scholars of international standing. Their wide variety of approaches to Pound contain much new material and raise fundamental issues for a more accurate and richer appreciation of Pound's work. This collection brings together many contrasting and stimulating analyses of The Cantos and will be of interest to all who wish to increase their knowledge of Pound's poetry.

In this essential guide to one of the most difficult yet rewarding poems of the twentieth century, William Cookson (who began corresponding with Pound as a schoolboy in 1957) draws on a deep and intimate knowledge of Pound's life and work. This edition incorporates much new information and has been substantially revised and expanded. William Cookson gives lucid critical overviews to the various sections of the poem, clarifying its purpose and structure and explaining the views on literature, history and economics that inform Pound's poetry. His detailed commentary on each canto addresses the major stumbling-blocks for readers by translating foreign phrases, identifying quotations and explaining allusions.