Tradition and Innovation in Ezra Pound's Modernist Circle
Ezra Pound’s role in modernism is undeniable, but his connections to Philadelphia may be less obvious and are worthy of exploration. He spent his formative years in this “birthplace of America,” where his father worked at the U.S. Mint. Among the many artists he befriended in Philadelphia were fellow poets who would become modernists: Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), Marianne Moore, and William Carlos Williams. Pound’s relationship with Philadelphia institution University of Pennsylvania is a tumultuous one. Having earned his master’s degree, he was “pushed out” of the program, and his efforts to get a PhD were denied by the university, including many recent efforts to award him a posthumous PhD. This remains another source of controversy in Pound studies.