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Ploughing on Sunday

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133:(as an allusion to the founding of Rome), whereas alternate readings struggle on these points. Environmentalists might agree that North America has been "rogered" by immigration and industrial development but it's unlikely Stevens had that in mind. And if the poem were simply about the poet's joyfully exulting in his powers, why does North America (and a 105:
suggests that Stevens writes about the experience of being a poet, "There, while his docile neighbors troop off to church, the poet, violating the Sabbath, blasphemously harnesses his team to plough and takes to the fields, full of indiscriminate joy in the sun and wind alike..."
156:
Buttel detects the influence of Walt Whitman in the poem's expansive wit, exaggeration and slap at the blue laws. He also sees in the poem Stevens's awareness of rural and frontier America and, "in Remus, to the Negroes and other reminders of the native folk tradition."
152:
The Stevenses observed the old custom of refraining from physical labor on Sundays, not even cooking. This will be disturbing for those who analyze poetry by reference to biography; it would pose a problem for Vendler's interpretation.
109:
At a philosophical extreme is the argument that the poem is about artists in North America imaginatively cultivating the reality of the New World with exuberant disregard for old European strictures. In this regard, it is comparable to
684: 418: 114:" which Vendler interprets as being about "new American art". The latter readings acknowledge the symbolism of the sun as representing reality, the moon imagination. 90:
Interpretations of this poem have been both strictly metaphorical and philosophical. At one extreme is the suggestion that the poem is about the sexual act. The
691: 579: 98:(1998) xlvi. 167 Edward Constable had been..reamed, rogered, ploughed by Henry Phipps so he could barely walk straight to the table." 129:"). This fits well with the more philosophically-driven reading which also easily harmonizes with the references to North America and 341: 300: 111: 782: 831: 712: 94:
recognizes a sense in which "to plough" means to have sexual intercourse. Its most recent citation for this use is "P. CAREY
898: 551: 530: 747: 621: 558: 817: 768: 502: 425: 185: 537: 516: 397: 796: 635: 481: 446: 310: 293: 29: 509: 460: 453: 126: 775: 761: 733: 565: 121:, This is consistent with reading "Ploughing on Sunday" as a poetic fanfaronnade, a parallel to Dvořák's 824: 656: 348: 698: 614: 600: 593: 544: 474: 467: 404: 286: 893: 390: 334: 803: 383: 118: 628: 677: 663: 8: 888: 859: 845: 670: 642: 572: 362: 649: 432: 376: 146: 852: 523: 130: 137:) provide the context for that, rather than any other geographical setting, such as 838: 607: 439: 117:
Stevens described the poem as a "fanfaronnade" and was accustomed to listening to
810: 789: 726: 488: 327: 315: 24: 719: 355: 278: 882: 754: 705: 586: 495: 102: 369: 142: 134: 220:"...I had the usual Sunday evening listening to a good deal of Dvorjak". 866: 685:
Frogs Eat Butterflies. Snakes Eat Frogs. Hogs Eat Snakes. Men Eat Hogs
740: 138: 33:(1923). First published in 1919, it is now in the public domain. 419:
Cy Est Pourtraicte, Madame Ste Ursule, et Les Unze Mille Vierges
261:, ed. Holly Stevens. 1966: University of California Press. 271:
Morse, Samuel French. "Wallace Stevens, Bergson, Pater".
692:Jasmine's Beautiful Thoughts Underneath The Willow 880: 308: 171: 169: 580:The Curtains in the House of the Metaphysician 294: 166: 301: 287: 342:The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage 112:The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage 252:Wallace Stevens: The Making of Harmonium 783:Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird 881: 268:. 1984: University of Tennessee Press. 832:The Revolutionists Stop for Orangeade 713:The Bird with the Coppery, Keen Claws 282: 254:. 1967: Princeton University Press. 13: 552:Anecdote of the Prince of Peacocks 531:On the Manner of Addressing Clouds 14: 910: 748:Two Figures in Dense Violet Night 559:A High-Toned Old Christian Woman 818:The Surprises of the Superhuman 769:Hymn from a Watermelon Pavilion 538:Of Heaven Considered as a Tomb 503:Anecdote of Men by the Thousand 426:Hibiscus on the Sleeping Shores 622:Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock 517:Floral Decorations for Bananas 398:Nuances of a Theme by Williams 232: 223: 214: 205: 196: 178: 101:A different interpretation by 64: Ploughing North America. 62: I'm ploughing on Sunday, 57: And bluster in the wind. 1: 797:The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad 636:The Virgin Carrying a Lantern 447:Homunculus et la Belle Etoile 244: 510:The Apostrophe to Vincentine 461:From the Misery of Don Joost 454:The Comedian as the Letter C 186:"The Dao of Wallace Stevens" 73: The turkey-cock's tail 60: Remus, blow your horn! 46: The turkey-cock's tail 7: 776:Peter Quince at the Clavier 762:To the One of Fictive Music 734:Colloquy with a Polish Aunt 566:The Place of the Solitaires 84: The wind pours down. 78: The white cock's tail 42: The white cock's tail 10: 915: 825:Sea Surface Full of Clouds 657:Six Significant Landscapes 482:The Worms at Heaven's Gate 349:The Plot Against the Giant 266:Words Chosen Out of Desire 259:Letters of Wallace Stevens 190:The Dao of Wallace Stevens 82: Water in the fields. 80: Streams to the moon. 53: The wind pours down. 51: Water in the fields. 48: Glitters in the sun. 899:Poetry by Wallace Stevens 322: 92:Oxford English Dictionary 75: Spreads to the sun. 44: Tosses in the wind. 27:'s first book of poetry, 615:Tea at the Palaz of Hoon 601:The Emperor of Ice-Cream 594:Depression Before Spring 545:Of the Surface of Things 475:Last Looks at the Lilacs 468:O Florida, Venereal Soil 405:Metaphors of a Magnifico 160: 55: The feathers flare 391:Le Monocle de Mon Oncle 335:Invective Against Swans 135:North American gamebird 16:Poem by Wallace Stevens 804:The Death of a Soldier 699:Cortège for Rosenbloom 384:The Load Of Sugar-Cane 87: 257:Stevens, Wallace. In 71: Ti-tum-tum-tum! 66: Blow your horn! 39: 678:Palace of the Babies 664:Bantam in Pine-Woods 846:Anatomy of Monotony 671:Anecdote of the Jar 643:Stars at Tallapoosa 573:The Weeping Burgher 412:Ploughing on Sunday 363:Domination of Black 37:Ploughing on Sunday 21:Ploughing on Sunday 433:Fabliau of Florida 377:The Ordinary Women 147:Western Hemisphere 127:From the New World 876: 875: 853:The Public Square 524:Anecdote of Canna 123:Symphony Number 9 69: Tum-ti-tum, 23:" is a poem from 906: 839:Lunar Paraphrase 608:The Cuban Doctor 440:Doctor of Geneva 303: 296: 289: 280: 279: 264:Vendler, Helen. 250:Buttel, Robert. 239: 236: 230: 227: 221: 218: 212: 211:Stevens, p. 338. 209: 203: 200: 194: 193: 182: 176: 173: 914: 913: 909: 908: 907: 905: 904: 903: 879: 878: 877: 872: 790:Nomad Exquisite 727:The Wind Shifts 489:The Jack-Rabbit 328:Earthy Anecdote 318: 316:Wallace Stevens 307: 275:Vol. 31, No. 1. 247: 242: 238:Buttel, p. 199. 237: 233: 228: 224: 219: 215: 210: 206: 202:Vendler, p. 13. 201: 197: 184: 183: 179: 175:Buttel, p. 198. 174: 167: 163: 88: 86: 83: 81: 79: 77: 76: 74: 72: 70: 68: 67: 65: 63: 61: 59: 58: 56: 54: 52: 50: 49: 47: 45: 43: 38: 25:Wallace Stevens 17: 12: 11: 5: 912: 902: 901: 896: 894:American poems 891: 874: 873: 871: 870: 863: 856: 849: 842: 835: 828: 821: 814: 807: 800: 793: 786: 779: 772: 765: 758: 751: 744: 737: 730: 723: 720:Life Is Motion 716: 709: 702: 695: 688: 681: 674: 667: 660: 653: 646: 639: 632: 629:Sunday Morning 625: 618: 611: 604: 597: 590: 583: 576: 569: 562: 555: 548: 541: 534: 527: 520: 513: 506: 499: 492: 485: 478: 471: 464: 457: 450: 443: 436: 429: 422: 415: 408: 401: 394: 387: 380: 373: 366: 359: 356:Infanta Marina 352: 345: 338: 331: 323: 320: 319: 306: 305: 298: 291: 283: 277: 276: 269: 262: 255: 246: 243: 241: 240: 231: 222: 213: 204: 195: 177: 164: 162: 159: 40: 36: 35: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 911: 900: 897: 895: 892: 890: 887: 886: 884: 868: 864: 861: 857: 854: 850: 847: 843: 840: 836: 833: 829: 826: 822: 819: 815: 812: 808: 805: 801: 798: 794: 791: 787: 784: 780: 777: 773: 770: 766: 763: 759: 756: 752: 749: 745: 742: 738: 735: 731: 728: 724: 721: 717: 714: 710: 707: 703: 700: 696: 693: 689: 686: 682: 679: 675: 672: 668: 665: 661: 658: 654: 651: 647: 644: 640: 637: 633: 630: 626: 623: 619: 616: 612: 609: 605: 602: 598: 595: 591: 588: 587:Banal Sojourn 584: 581: 577: 574: 570: 567: 563: 560: 556: 553: 549: 546: 542: 539: 535: 532: 528: 525: 521: 518: 514: 511: 507: 504: 500: 497: 496:Valley Candle 493: 490: 486: 483: 479: 476: 472: 469: 465: 462: 458: 455: 451: 448: 444: 441: 437: 434: 430: 427: 423: 420: 416: 413: 409: 406: 402: 399: 395: 392: 388: 385: 381: 378: 374: 371: 367: 364: 360: 357: 353: 350: 346: 343: 339: 336: 332: 329: 325: 324: 321: 317: 313: 312: 304: 299: 297: 292: 290: 285: 284: 281: 274: 270: 267: 263: 260: 256: 253: 249: 248: 235: 226: 217: 208: 199: 191: 187: 181: 172: 170: 165: 158: 154: 150: 148: 144: 140: 136: 132: 128: 124: 120: 115: 113: 107: 104: 103:Helen Vendler 99: 97: 93: 85: 34: 32: 31: 26: 22: 860:Indian River 411: 370:The Snow Man 309: 272: 265: 258: 251: 234: 229:Morse, p. 9. 225: 216: 207: 198: 189: 180: 155: 151: 122: 116: 108: 100: 95: 91: 89: 41: 28: 20: 18: 650:Explanation 143:Connecticut 889:1919 poems 883:Categories 245:References 96:Jack Maggs 311:Harmonium 145:, or the 30:Harmonium 811:Negation 741:Gubbinal 139:Hartford 755:Theory 706:Tattoo 119:Dvořák 161:Notes 131:Remus 273:ELH, 867:Tea 314:by 885:: 188:. 168:^ 149:? 141:, 125:(" 869:" 865:" 862:" 858:" 855:" 851:" 848:" 844:" 841:" 837:" 834:" 830:" 827:" 823:" 820:" 816:" 813:" 809:" 806:" 802:" 799:" 795:" 792:" 788:" 785:" 781:" 778:" 774:" 771:" 767:" 764:" 760:" 757:" 753:" 750:" 746:" 743:" 739:" 736:" 732:" 729:" 725:" 722:" 718:" 715:" 711:" 708:" 704:" 701:" 697:" 694:" 690:" 687:" 683:" 680:" 676:" 673:" 669:" 666:" 662:" 659:" 655:" 652:" 648:" 645:" 641:" 638:" 634:" 631:" 627:" 624:" 620:" 617:" 613:" 610:" 606:" 603:" 599:" 596:" 592:" 589:" 585:" 582:" 578:" 575:" 571:" 568:" 564:" 561:" 557:" 554:" 550:" 547:" 543:" 540:" 536:" 533:" 529:" 526:" 522:" 519:" 515:" 512:" 508:" 505:" 501:" 498:" 494:" 491:" 487:" 484:" 480:" 477:" 473:" 470:" 466:" 463:" 459:" 456:" 452:" 449:" 445:" 442:" 438:" 435:" 431:" 428:" 424:" 421:" 417:" 414:" 410:" 407:" 403:" 400:" 396:" 393:" 389:" 386:" 382:" 379:" 375:" 372:" 368:" 365:" 361:" 358:" 354:" 351:" 347:" 344:" 340:" 337:" 333:" 330:" 326:" 302:e 295:t 288:v 192:. 110:" 19:"

Index

Wallace Stevens
Harmonium
Helen Vendler
The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage
Dvořák
From the New World
Remus
North American gamebird
Hartford
Connecticut
Western Hemisphere


"The Dao of Wallace Stevens"
v
t
e
Harmonium
Wallace Stevens
Earthy Anecdote
Invective Against Swans
The Paltry Nude Starts on a Spring Voyage
The Plot Against the Giant
Infanta Marina
Domination of Black
The Snow Man
The Ordinary Women
The Load Of Sugar-Cane
Le Monocle de Mon Oncle
Nuances of a Theme by Williams

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