Power and Poetry

Kenneth Patchen’s Critique of Classicism

Authors

  • Maria Anita Stefanelli

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/1592-4467/9045

Keywords:

Kenneth Patchen, romanitas, fascism

Abstract

The essay analyses the intellectual involvement of Kenneth Patchen with the culture of power as promoted by fascism in Italy in the 1930s. Through a discussion of poems from Cloth of the Tempest (1943) it shows how Patchen offered a deformed and parodic version of the cult of romanitas based upon a manipulation of Italy's past classical tradition, and how he proceeded towards a radical innovation in representation.

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Published

2000-09-01

Issue

Vol. 11 (2000): Untitled

Section

Articles

License

RSAJournal will apply a CC BY 4.0 license to all its contributions starting with issue 37 (2026). Previous issues are licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND licence.