Edgar Lee Masters – "Spoon River Anthology" (or excerpts from)

There were two excerpts from "Spoon River Anthology" that needed to be analyzed for this blog, and they were both very different. They each draw the reader in and make the reader want to read every story that is in "Spoon River Anthology". They are all very descriptive and paint a picture of lives that were filled with joy and happiness (Masters). "Lucinda Matlock" speaks of woman that lived a long and illustrious life where she cared for her children and kept the house (Masters). "Fiddler Jones" was about a man that tried to be a farmer, but who was so good at playing the fiddle, he never got anything done (Masters). They are both very different works, and they are both part of a greater number of works compiled in "Spoon River Anthology" (Masters). Masters made these works very complex, as they are all poems and are supposed to be considered the epitaphs for those people (Masters). They both fit into the Realist category, but it is hard to tell why (Masters). While the poems reflect on the past, they tell what the person is thinking in the exact moment that they are written, and both of the situations are realistic and could have easily happened (Masters). These works are definitely not Naturalistic (Masters). They have nothing to do with science, and they are full of emotion (Masters). These works shows that in poetry like this, it is a lot harder to try to fit science into them, which in general makes it a lot harder for these works to be anywhere close to Naturalistic (Masters). These works could kind of be considered Regionalistic, because they talk all about Illinois (Masters). They talk about different areas of Illinois and things that can be done there, which can qualify this work as Regionalistic, though it is not necessarily obvious (Masters). These works do not really reflect society, but they talk a little bit about small towns and the interactions between people in those small towns (Masters). These works do not talk about religion or government, but there is a little bit about nature (Masters). There is not much about nature, but in "Fiddler Jones", there is a little about the fact that he was a farmer and farmers work with nature (Masters). There is not much about human nature, but in "Lucinda Matlock", there is a claim that states "It takes life to love Life", which basically says love is incredibly important in life, and that is a part of human nature (Masters). There is nothing about the American Dream, although they are both happy in their lives and what they did (Masters). There is no figurative language in these works, and there is also no mention of a Hero in either of them (Masters). They may each think that they are their own Heros, but that is mildly dumb (Masters). Edgar Lee Masters wrote extremely well when he wrote these works, and each one that is read makes one want to read more and more of them. They are intriguing and draw the reader in, which is what is wanted from every work that has ever been written.

Masters, Edgar L. ""Spoon River Anthology" (or Excerpts From)." American Literature. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Douglas Fisher, Beverly A. Chin, and Jacqueline J. Royster. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2009. 514-17. Print.