Question

4. a) William Carlos Williams famously said, “No ideas but in things.” Explain how this statement relates to the use of imagery in writing

Answer 1

This statement reflects Williams's interest in objects or things (tangible and intangible, objective and subjective) rather in concepts or ideas, since when we think of an object we almost immediately picture it in our minds, and it is then when we fully understand it, when we have an idea of what it means - to us, at least. Since Imagism involves the use of a simple, precise, and concrete language, which somehow impels the reader to picture the words in his or her mind and get to their essence, this statement clearly reflects the tenets of this movement.