The Ends of Tragedy: Robinson Jeffers’ Satires on Human Self-Importance

TheCanadian Review of American Studies, Volume 10,Number 2, Fall, 1979 TheEnds of Tragedy: Robinson Jeffers' Satireson Human Self-Importance Robinson Jeffers. The Women at Point Sur and Other Poems, afterwordby Tim Hunt. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1927; rptd.Liveright, 1977.220 pp. RobinsonJeffers. Dear Judas and Other Poems, afterword by RobertJ. Brophy. New York: Horace J. Liveright, 1929; rptd.Liveright, 1977. 179 pp. Robinson Jeffers. The Double Axe and Other Poems, Including Eleven SuppressedPoems, foreword by William Everson, afterword by BillHotchkiss.NewYork: Random House, 1948; rptd. Liveright, 1977. 197 pp. William H. Nolte. Rock and Hawk: Robinson Jeffers and the Romantic Agony. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1978. 212 + ix pp. JamesH. Shebl. In This Wild Water: The Suppressed Poems of RobmsonJeffers. Pasadena, California: Ward Ritchie Press, 1976. 123 + xvi pp. Robert Jan Scott The republication of Robinson Jeffers' three most resented books-The Womenat Point Sur, Dear Judas and The Double Axe- calls for another lookat his experiments with the structures and purposes of tragedy. RobertJ. Brophyhas shown that at least five of Jeffers' long narrative poems use the prologue-complication-crisis-catastrophe-denouement plot-structure and the seasonalmetaphors of Greek tragedy: "Tamar," "Roan Stallion," "The Tower BeyondTragedy" (the three which made Jeffers suddenly famous in 1925), "Cawdor"in 1928, and "At the 'Birth of an Age" in 1935.1 All but "Tamar" also mention scientific discoveries which threaten our senseof our importance, discoveries which, or so Joseph Wood Krutch said inTheModern Ternper in 1929,make modern tragedy impossible. Krutch did notmention Jeffers, but Jeffers mentions such discoveries as that the universe doesnot revolve around us (Copernicus, 1543), that we evolved from other formsof life (Darwin, 1859), and that everything, we included, consists of variously changing structures of atoms (Lucretius, c. 55 B.C.). Such discoveriesmay hurt our pride, and lead to a disastrously egocentric self-pity, or save us from it, depending upon our willingness to learn and change. Resentment blocks learning; as long as we resent or ignore such discoveries, tragedieswill keep on happening. Jeffers used such discoveries to end our delusionsof importance by making them seem astronomically absurd, and soby writing tragedies to prevent tragedies in our lives. Ina much quoted, much misunderstood passage of"Roan Stallion" Jeffers 232 Robert Ian Scott described humanity as the trap to escape. He meant that we need to change ourselves-we cannot change much of the universe-to escape our delusions of importance and change our lives, but that commonsensical restatementof "character is fate" gets misunderstood because some of Jeffers' readers flatter themselves by assuming that "human" means only what they think "good" whatever that word may mean, so any suggestion that they should change seems a puzzling insult and perverse to them. At the end of "The Tower Beyond Tragedy" Jeffers has his Orestes escape such delusions and further tragedy by renouncing human passions. He falls in love "outward," withthe almost totally nonhuman universe, instead of with himself as reflected inanv other human, and so rejects his sister's offer of incestuous love. "At the Birth of an Age" ends with the universe personified as the ultimate tragic hero,selftormenting because so totally self-reflecting, like a Narcissus who cannot escape himself because nothing else exists. But we can escape, becauseso much else exists besides ourselves; like Orestes, we exist only as parts ofthe enormous universe, and we have it to turn to as a relief from ourselves. These three new editions of Jeffers' books include five more of histragedies, plus his only comedy, and come with helpful comments by Tim Hunt, Robert Brophy, William Everson and Bill Hotchkiss. But not even Brophy saysthat in these five Jeffers tried other plot-structures for tragedy, and all to thesame end, to make us regard human importance as a delusion best avoided, because it causes such miseries as those these tragedies portray. In the comedy,the second half of "The Double Axe," Jeffers' philosopher-hermit escapesthe mass-tragedy of a third world war because he has long since escaped such delusions. He refuses to take himself or humanity in general as important. He feels reverence, but for the universe he and Jeffers see as divinely beautifuland important...