16 pages • 32-minute read
In a Station of the Metro
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context
A contemporary of W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and Wallace Stevens, Pound is considered one of the 20th century’s most influential poets. He contributed to the Modernist movement, and he championed for many of the 20th century’s Modernist and avant-garde poets including T. S. Eliot. He also developed historic intellectual and aesthetic exchanges between the United States and Europe. Published in April 1913, “In a Station of the Metro” appeared at a hugely significant time in history. In the United States, the Sixteenth Amendment, which authorized the federal government to impose and collect income taxes received ratification. The Armory Show, which displayed the work of yet-to-be influential painters, opened in New York City, and in Washington DC, the Women’s Suffrage Procession took place. Woodrow Wilson was sworn in as President, along with Thomas R. Marshall as Vice President. In April 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment passed; it dictated the direct election of senators. Later, in October, the Ford Motor Company began producing the Model T. In December 1913, Woodrow Wilson created the Federal Reserve.
1913 also ushered in a transforming series of global events. In January, in the First Balkan War, at the Battle of Lemnos, Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forced the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base. In Ireland, Edward Carson founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which unified loyalist militia forces to resist home rule for Ireland. The British House of Lords also rejected an Irish Home Rule Bill. The Mexican revolution occurred, and President Francisco I. Madero and Vice President Jose Maria Pino Suarez forcibly resigned; they would both later be assassinated. Pancho Villa later returned to Mexico, ending his self-imposed exile in the United States. The Russian Secret Police, the Okhrana, arrested Joseph Stalin and exiled him to Siberia. Later, The House of Romanov celebrated 300 years at the throne. Norway enacted women’s suffrage, and the British suffragette Emily Davison threw herself in front of the King’s horse at the Derby; she sustained life-threatening injuries and passed five days later. In June, the Second Balkans War began, and in July Romania declared war on Bulgaria. By the year’s end, Greece annexed Crete, Woodrow Wilson signed The Raker Act, and Italy returned the Mona Lisa to France.
Literary Context
“In a Station of the Metro” is considered Pound’s most famous poem, and Pound managed to publish it at a significant time in literary history. In 1912, Pound had begun working on the poems that would become Ripostes. Between 1912 and 1913, Pound spent time in the British Museum’s Prints and Drawings Students’ Rooms with Dorothy Shakespear, where he studied and examined Chinese and Japanese art. In March 1913, Poetry published Pound’s “A Few Don’ts by an Imagist.” Pound advocated for a reduction of unneeded words, particularly adjectives.
In other parts of the world, the literary scene continued to change and evolve. Germany founded the German National Library. As a reaction to Russian Futurism (a movement rejecting the past and conventional art), Acmeist poetry, which promoted the compactness of form and the clarity of expression, emerged. Franz Kafka began writing his novel Amerika; he would never finish the novel. Ambrose Bierce, the author of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek,” sent his last known correspondence; he had been serving with Pancho Villa’s army as an observer. The first modern Arabic novel, Zaynab, by Husayn Haykal was published, and Henri Stahl, a Romanian author, published excerpts from A Romanian on the Moon and established the Romanian science fiction genre. Other major publications included Willa Cather’s O Pioneers! D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers, Jack London’s The Valley of the Moon, and Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country.
Unlock all 16 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs