Hart Crane’s The Bridge as an Example of Modernist Poetry

Abstract

This particular poem of Hart Crane is a good example of American modernist poetry. Crane’s The Bridge has been the subject of a lot of debate since its publication. Crane comes from a wealthy family and is an American Romantic poet who observes the richness of life in his poetry. In this long epic poem, the poet is inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge. For him, the bridge stands for the creative power of man. The poet considers the poem as an epic synthesis of the country and its structural identity. There is a kind of a search in the poem and this search of the poet is the one for the real American past and the characteristics of present America that will determine her future. The poet tries to come up with a view of what he calls the American experience in the poem. He adopts the Brooklyn Bridge as the poem’s supporting symbol and talks about and celebrates various people and places. Keywords: Modernist, Brooklyn Bridge, Poetry, Criticism, America