Letters to a Young Poet Essay

Rilkes Letters to a Young Poet, ostensibly a serial of mirror images ab bulge out and advice regarding the inner-life of an accomplished poet, betray as much or so philosophical and moral attitudes as those attitudes or concepts which are commonly associated with literary theory and literary technique. In detail very little, if any, evidence of traditional literary unfavorable judgment exists within the series of letters Rilke, in fact, comments in the first letter that Nothing touches a work of fine art so little as words of criticism they always result in more or less blushful mis accords (Rilke, 1).With that quite clear admonition as a sort of enter to his ensuing reflections and advice, Rilke establishes a far more urgent and threatening send of considerations regarding creative behavior, considerations which arise out of the human capacity for self-exploration and spiritual odyssey. To dismount with, Rilke advises new-make creative persons to eschew traditional m arkers of success, such as publication and vital acclaim. much(prenominal) things are aspects of what he terms the outer world and suffer little to do with the composition of poetry.Instead of looking outward for signs of success, the shoot for poet should look within You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right(a) now. No adept can advise or help you no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself (Rilke,1). While it is relatively well-off to comprehend Rilkes meaning here that an aspiring poet should non exclusivelyow themselves to be judged by outside sources for fear of losing their individuality, the method by which one attempts to go into yourself (Rilke,1) are both complex and dependent upon th aspiring poets level of devotion and patience.It is non certain that a turning inward, alone, get out produce the emotional and intellectual response that feeds into the presentation of great art, but without such a turning inward , great art can non be accomplished at all. When Rilke comments that if out of this turning-within, out of this immersion in your own world, poems come, then you will not destine of asking anyone whether they are good or not (Rilke, 2) he is seed to introduce the most crucial point in his set of principles and advice for young artists.This first, and most crucial, concept is that artists are self-reliant. This means that not only do artists measure their own depths of emotional response for themes and techniques with which to advance self-expression, but the function of turning inward pips of any potential artist, a sort of expel within their own respective societies, a loner who must accept, first, natural ingest and response, and only later consider the repercussions of their journey.The scarecrowing into the duncish and in the flesh(predicate) subjective reality of the artist is not only a search for self-identity, bit a search for an escape from irony. And here, Ri lke makes an amazing and very profound point regarding the pose that many people adopt to their lives. It would be slowly to recognize this pose, say, in a corrupt politician who espouses love for his fellow-citizen but steals for personal wealth and empowerment from the taxes which are meant to improve his hostelry.Equally easy would be to recognize the irony and hypocrisy of literary critics who pontificate nearly works without ever bothering to understand them. However, Rilke takes the idea of irony and hypocrisy to an special level and views it as one of the primary obstacles, as well as primary instruments, of creative expression. To dwell in irony may make for quick expression and readily comprehensible art, but it is also a path to the trivial.Rilke writes Search into the depths of Things in that location, irony never descends (Rilke, 3) and so, lack or irony, and hence honesty is also a hallmark of the odyssey of the artist. Once the likely artists has made the dec ision that they could simply not live without beingness an artist, that they must plumb the depths and take on the journey within, the ensuing time of solitude and reflection will allow the artist to slowly replace conventional modes of system of logic and thinking with modes of logic and thinking that are far more contributory to artistic expression.It is important to remember that Rilke states plainly that anyone who imagines that they can live without being a poet should not bother to write at all. This is a strike point in his overall vision because Rilke regards poetry and artistic expression not as crafts or vocations, but as a affair not unlike that which is commonly associated with religious traditions.The poet or artist has no choice but to be a poet or an artist there is no-one to t for each one them craft or skills, there is simply the immersion into ones soul and the re-emergence as an artist with a unique give tongue to and vision. The thought process of the art ist is To let each impression and each embryo of a feeling come to completion, entirely in itself, in the dark, in the unsayable, the unconscious, beyond the reach of ones own dread, and with deep humility and patience to wait for the hour when a new pellucidness is born (Rilke, 5).In this statement Rilke places great emphasis on the erosion of the egotism in the artist, signifying that it is not the artists conscious ego which creates art, nor learned technique, but submission to unconscious processes, and openness to sensation and understanding this alone is what it means to live as an artist in understanding as in creating (Rilke, 5).Along with the substitution of a new logic for the old, Rilke mentions that perception of linear events, such as time itself, are not the business of the true artist Being an artist means not numbering and counting, but ripening like a head, which doesnt run its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summ er may not come (Rilke, 5). Along with self-reliance and patience, informal emotional, spiritual, and psychic produce are aspects of an artists journey.Simply by removing oneself from the mainstream (and often ironic) commingle of common society and common thinking, the artist becomes something apart from human society and something which is more in touch with Nature nd the processes of natural growth. Such a diversion from the ordinary means that the poet or artist will carry with them the additional burden of being misunderstood, possibly envied, and likely create verbally off as a crank because the diversion of vision, mission, and personal tutelage is radical enough to cause visible manifestation.For this issue, Rilke advises be happy about your growth, in which of course you cant take anyone with you, and be flabby with those who stay behind be confident and calm in front of them and dont torment them with your doubts and dont frighten them with your assent or joy, which they wouldnt be able to comprehend (Rilke, 9). The prospect of internal joy and a magnificent experience of ones self and of nature are the artists true rewards, not glory and publication, just as self-reliance, patience, and honesty rather than technique, theme, and medium are the important aspects of composition.In the long run, the journey inward which is made by the prospective artist will reveal itself to be a journey toward a deeper and more complete communion with immortal. Of course, Rilke avoids any dogmatic interpretations of precisely what God is or is not, but he advises young poets to understand that art is a spiritual, rather than a material or commercial, process.He mentions that it is very steadying for an artist to view God as the one who is coming, who has been approaching from all eternity, the one who will someday arrive, the ultimate fruit of a tree whose leaves we are (Rilke, 10). This latter observation sums up, quite readily, the ultimate thrust of Rilk es advice that any prospective artist should view the process of becoming an artist as something more akin to religious than material experience.Art is not only a way of life, it is life and for a true artist, there is no other path. Rilkes letters are important not only for their veracity and honesty, but for Rilkes insistence that the artist be regarded, rightfully, as a visionary rather than a craftsman, especially in an age which values above all else, reduction of human experience to merely material principles.Work Cited Rilke, Rainer Maria. Letters to a Young Poet, W. W. Norton & Company, 1993.