The poets of the Movement were a curious literary alliance, having banded together to achieve a common purpose through a variety of different methods. Repulsed by the neo-romantic and performance-driven poetry of the 1950’s, these poets tried to save Modern verse from falling into the pit of fluffy, image-driven poetry and restore an emphasis on content. The youngest of these poets was Thom Gunn, who, like his colleagues in this loose confederation, retained a style of his own while addressing Movement ideas. They had a shared value of bringing tradition and discipline back into poetry, thereby increasing a poem’s capacity for meaning and dignity. Although Gunn was a distinguished advocate for the virtues of restraint, clarity,…
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