Jeffers, Rexroth, and the Trope of Hellenism

J e f f e r s , R e x r o t h , a n d t h e T r o p e o f H e l l e n i s m R o b e r t Z a l l e r I n t h e Sat u rd ay R ev iew o f L it e rat u re fo r A u g u st 10, 1 9 5 7 , K e n n e t h R e x r o t h la u n c h e d a n a t t a c k o n R o b in so n Je ffe r s t h a t is st o r ie d in t h e a n n a ls o f A m e r ic a n lit e r a r y in v e c t iv e . ‘“ I n m y o p in i o n ,’” R e x r o t h w r o t e , ‘“ Je ffe r s’ v e r se is sh o d d y a n d p r e t e n t io u s a n d t h e p h ilo so p h iz in g is n o t h in g b u t p o st u r in g . H is r e w o r k in g s o f G r e e k t r a g ic p lo t s m a k e m e sh u d d e r a t t h e ir v u lg a r it y ’” (in V a r d a m is 2 2 4 ). Je ffe r s sh r u g g e d in r e p ly : “ I . . . r e m a in m o sq u it o - p r o o f” (in R id g e w a y 3 6 2 ) . La t e r , h e w o n d e r e d w h e t h e r h e h a d so m e h o w g iv e n o ffe n se . “S o m a n y p e o p le I h a v e in su lt e d b y n o t a n sw e r in g t h e ir le t t e r s,” h e w r o t e t o R a d c liffe Sq u ir e s, “a n d I b la m e m y se lf” (in R id g e w a y 3 6 3 ) . R e x r o t h ’s a t t a c k d o e s h a v e t h e t o n e o f a w o u n d e d a d m ir e r , o r a t a n y r a t e o f a fr u st r a t e d r iv a l, a n d it is a n u n fo r t u n a t e b lo t o n h is r e p u ­ t a t io n . T h is is a ll t h e m o r e so in t h a t h is d e b t t o Je ffe r s— p a r t ic u la r ly in h is ly r ic m e d it a t io n s, h is r e so r t t o t h e p e r sp e c t iv e s o f m o d e m sc ie n c e , a n d h is lo n g , d ig r e ssiv e n a r r a t iv e s— is o b v io u s. I n...