Dan Chiasson takes the title of his collection of poetry- 'Natural History' from Pliny the Elder's 'Historia Naturalis'- in which Pliny attempts to record all of the ancient Roman knowledge. 'Historia Naturalis' gave the model that all future encyclopedias were based off on- this ties into Chiasson's work as his collection of poetry is suggestive of the fact that like an encyclopedia, a human being is a collection of all things in the world- experiences that are physical and emotional. And so in Natural History- Chiasson gives to his readers individual poems that come together beautifully almost in a manner, reminiscent to an encyclopedia.
What I loved most about the book was the sheer variance in the tone and the style of the poems. Which on the first reading was mildly unsettling, but really reflected back to the almost encyclopedic style of the book-- the dissonance in the styles and the way he wrote about different subjects made me think about how true to life his poetry was- we react differently to different things- so why should poetry about them be similar?
And so, we have "Love Song (Smelt)"--
When I say "you" in my poems; I mean you.
I know its weird; we barely met
You must hear this all the time, being you.
That night we were on the opposite ends of
the long table, after the pungent
Russian condiments, the carafes of tarragon vodka
the chafing dishes full of boiled smelts
I was a little drunk; after you left
I ate the last smelt off your dirty plate
--which is written in very matter-of-fact way. Chiasson states exactly what he wants to say exactly the way he would say it- no pretension and no hiding behind extended metaphors. His tone is colloquial, cheeky and edging on being almost smug. And it fits because he's talking about a situation where he feels taken by a woman he's met at a nice restaurant at probably a social function- the modern version of romance- colored by the rosy hue of inebriation.
At the same time, Dan Chiasson also gives to its readers- "There Is A Star In The Sea"--
There is a star in the sea, and it burns up everything
it touches. Though men who walk on land deny it.
One night a star fell from the sky and landed in the sea.
It had the good sense to become a fish but the wit
to keep its shape.It sleeps on the bottom of the sea,
but one day, I'll play a trick on it--I'll turn the ocean
Upside down! then it will shine again, coral bluff
rusted galleon in the night sky and I will pray to it
--Which has been written in a whimsical tone. Despite the sparseness in the description- it invokes powerful imagery. Nature is personified in the star which is depicted more as live creature as opposed to a ball of hot gases, in its decision to become a fish- which shows the way human beings perceive nature- often with a sense of wonder. This poem was my favorite because it made me nostalgic of my babyhood when my father used to tell me bed time stories before tucking me in.
'Natural History' is a collection of human experiences- because with Dan Chiasson, you can experience the grunge of a modern day romance to the wonder of nature.
-Smriti Bansal
Hey Smiriti! Thank you for sharing your response to Dan Chiasson’s Natural History. I loved the collection as well. Such prettily written poems in conversational, frank tones; a deadly combo.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your point that Chiasson’s poems reflect the world as we, or at least Dan Chiasson, perceive the world. We have different attitudes and lenses through which we perceive different matters in life. Then, the poems that supposedly describe the way we feel about the world must be distinctive and varied in style as well.
I love the way poems in Natural History refers to specific things. For example, in the poem you cite (“Love Song (Smelt)”), Chiasson refers specifically to tarragon vodka and smelts. Maybe it is because I am hugely interested in food and drinks, but those two images really painted the picture for me. I could totally picture Chiasson, slightly tipsy, taking a bite out of some random girl’s plate - an action of disappointment that she left without him after enchanting him.
Your point about different topics needing different tones is spot on. I never thought about it that way, but you’re right—while you can absolutely craft the same tone for a range of poetry, in a collection like this, varying your style from poem to poem and topic to topic while keeping the basic knowledge of how to write a poem (and thus, a very basic style) as a connector really does a good job of evoking the image of, as you said, an encyclopedia. The collection probably would have still been great if Chiasson had used the same tone (as, for example, in Rookery) for each of his poems, but the changes are what truly evoke the feeling of “natural history.”
ReplyDeleteBut then, I wonder: is there any definitive marker that these poems were written by Dan Chiasson? Some poets have very distinct tones or styles and can be recognized in almost any situation, but if this book were pulled apart and each poem taken as its own individual piece, would the lack of conformity be a boon or a bane on his career? I’m not trying to imply that ingenuity is a bad thing, but how important is “brand” when trying to market something with a niche audience? Are there merits to writing solely for an audience or money instead of writing experimentally and largely for oneself?