SOURCE: “Thoreau's Poetics,” in American Transcendental Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 1971, pp. 74-81.

In the following essay, Colquitt suggests that Thoreau's judgments about the poet's experience hampered his success as a writer of verses.

“Yes, I've seen her poetry Interesting if one is interested in Celia, Apart, of course, from its literary merit Which I don't pretend to judge.” 

—“The Cocktail Party”

Edward Chamberlayne's judgment on his mistress' poetry reflects with accuracy the critical verdict on the poetry of Thoreau: his poetry is interesting if one is interested in Thoreau as man and as writer of prose. Its literary merit, which a number of critics from Thoreau's time to our own have pretended to judge, has been found negligible.¹ Though there are some exceptions, the critical attitudes may be represented by George Ripley's comment in his review of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers that “Nearly every...