Behind His Father's Saying: Robert Frost's Wisdom Tradition

217 Pages·2015·0.92 MB·English

by  James H. Altman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
5-1-2014
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James H. Altman
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Altman, James H., "Behind His Father's Saying: Robert Frost's Wisdom Tradition" (2014). UNLV Theses,
Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2056.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/5836075
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BEHIND HIS FATHER’S SAYING: ROBERT FROST’S WISDOM TRADITION

by

James Altman
Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2004

Master of Arts in English
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2008

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the

Doctor of Philosophy - English

Department of English
College of Liberal Arts
The Graduate College

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
May 2014
Copyright by James Altman 2014
All Rights Reserved
THE GRADUATE COLLEGE

We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by
James Altman
entitled
Behind His Father’s Saying: Robert Frost’s Wisdom Tradition
is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy - English
Department of English

Donald Revell, Ph.D., Committee Chair
Christopher Decker, Ph.D., Committee Member
Richard Harp, Ph.D., Committee Member
Stephen G. Brown, Ph.D., Committee Member
Jay Coughtry, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative
Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the Graduate College

May 2014

ii
ABSTRACT

BEHIND HIS FATHER’S SAYING: ROBERT FROST’S WISDOM TRADITION

By

James Altman

Dr. Donald Revell, Examination Committee Chair
Professor of English
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

It is no coincidence that Robert Frost draws on the European/American aphoristic
wisdom tradition. From the fables of Aesop, to the esotericism of pre-Socratic Greek
philosophers such as Pythagoras and Empedocles, to the works of moralists like Blaise
Pascal and Michel De Montaigne, to Erasmus, Frederick Nietzsche and others, Robert
Frost weaves diverse wisdom into his work. He does not, however, as much take
verbatim the words or sentiments of those who inspire him. Rather he adapts the spirit of
their thoughts for his own purposes. Why and how does he do this? What are those
purposes, and their subsequent implications?

Frost’s poetry lends itself to aphoristic and proverbial statement. That being understood, I
believe that the role of such proverbial statements is first and foremost to reveal and
examine the character of those involved in the poems in which such phrases appear.
Examination is not always positive, but is always enlightening. Also, through such
statements, Frost reveals a great deal about why he uses aphorisms and proverbs in the
first place. By such, I mean more than just his love of classical learning. His love of order
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and the beauty order can bring forth in the face of chaos also plays into his fondness for
aphorisms. So does an ever present attention born of his need to break away from
constraint.

Along with thoroughly reviewing the relevant literature on my topic, I begin my study
with an overview of what is broadly meant by the wisdom tradition. In this, I include
such things as adages, aphorisms and proverbs. I also discuss how they are customarily
employed, that is to say, how Robert Frost might have been used to hearing them
employed by those around him. My goal in doing so is to show Robert Frost’s placement
in terms of the wisdom tradition, and therefore to make his adaptations of it, and/or
deviations from it clearer and more impactful to my readers.

Within my study I move from the ancient to the modern. I begin with the pre-Socratic
Greek philosophers accompanied, where fruitful, by the fables of Aesop. I believe that
the philosophy of Pythagoras, particularly the Pythagorean mysteries with their
accompanying aphorisms, is highly applicable to many Robert Frost poems, such as
“Mending Wall,” and “Directive.” Many of his essays, such as “The Figure A Poem
Makes,” show the same ideas. The theories of Empedocles likewise illuminate many
Frost poems, simultaneously revealing much about the figures in each poem. Such
revelations occur whether the figures are human or natural, and also whether the poetic
landscape created for them is man-made or natural. Although Robert Frost was a self-
styled Dualist, philosophically, he still found much of use in the writings of the Monist
Pre-Socratics because of their application of aphorisms to help explain their world and
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how one should live in it. Such an outlook rings through the heart of many of Frost’s best
poems.

Robert Frost was predominantly a classicist. Nevertheless, he was open-minded enough
and hungry enough for new wisdom to explore that the works of thinkers like Blaise
Pascal, Michel De Montaigne, Erasmus, Frederick Nietzsche and others inevitably
influenced the characters and landscape of his poems. I do not believe that any such
modern influence was in conflict with the classicism Frost valued so highly. Instead I
believe Frost took these other influences and adapted them to circumstances he deemed
appropriate.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am profoundly grateful to everyone who assisted me in completing this doctoral
dissertation. First of all, I extend my deepest thanks to my committee chair, Dr. Donald
Revell, who more than anyone else read every word concerning this dissertation,
including many preliminary notes and musings that few will ever see, all without
complaint. Thank you so much for your insightful feedback, which taught me to look
beyond my preconceived notions about both poetry and academia. I hope I'm someday as
great a help to my students as you have been to me. Likewise, thank you to the other
members of my committee: Dr. Richard Harp, Dr. Christopher Decker, Dr. Stephen
Brown, and Dr. Jay Coughtry for volunteering your time, and for your belief in my
academic ability. I am also grateful to Dr. Julie Staggers for her encouragement, both
academic and creative, and for editorial assistance in the early stages. Thanks especially
to Dr. Richard Harp, for giving me the idea that inspired this dissertation. Thanks also to
my friend and fellow doctoral candidate Nate Botsis for listening to me complain about
an exhausting process that he has also endured.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

CHAPTER ONE “BEING ONE TRAVELER”: “THE ROAD NOT
TAKEN” AS PYTHAGOREAN TEMPLATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

CHAPTER TWO “CLOSED TO ALL BUT ME”: PYTHAGOREANISM IN
“DIRECTIVE” AND “MENDING WALL”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

CHAPTER THREE “LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP”: PARMENIDES AND
EMPEDOCLES IN FROST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

CHAPTER FOUR “THE BRIDEGROOM WISHED HE KNEW”:
SPIRITUAL UNCERTAINTY AND PERSONAL SACRIFICE IN FROST. . . . . . . . .60

CHAPTER FIVE “IF DESIGN GOVERN”: ROBERT FROST, ORIGINAL
SIN AND PREDESTINATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

CHAPTER SIX “FOR A FRIENDLY VISIT”: ROBERT FROST,
ERASMUS, AND COMMON FOLK WISDOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

CHAPTER SEVEN “MY OWN DESERT PLACES”: FROST, PASCAL, AND
THE IMAGINATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

CHAPTER EIGHT “YOUR EVERYDAY CONCERNS”: FROST,
NIETZSCHE, AND THE FORCE OF HABIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

WORKS CITED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

VITA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

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CHAPTER 1

“BEING ONE TRAVELER”: “THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” AS PYTHAGOREAN
TEMPLATE

Interpretation begins in choice among attractive alternatives. In “A Poem for All
Seasons; Reconsidering Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’” Mark Schwehn asserts that “The
most incredible reading of "The Road Not Taken" consists of the absurd suggestion that
the poem describes Frost's decision to become a poet” (7). I mention this interpretation
not to endorse it, but to emphasize that whether or not someone else endorses it is not my
concern. The journey of Robert Frost, from young poet to mature master, promises less to
my purposes than does the assimilation and adaptations of the wisdom tradition that he
made while on his journey. Similarly, when in “Whose "Road Less Traveled By"? Frost’s
Intent Once Again” R.F. Fleissner relates an anecdote from Frost’s friend Reginald Cook
in which Cook remembers “When I said: Well you know they'll always associate ‘The
Road Not Taken’ with you," he replied: "Yes, I suppose they will but it's about Edward
Thomas” (23). While other scholars of Frost may see fruitful ground in the question of
who it is that is the main inspiration for “The Road Not Taken,” I admit, at present, I do
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