SOURCE: Paterson, Alistair. “Poetry in Transition: Notes on Trends and Influences in New Zealand Verse.” Landfall: A New Zealand Quarterly 30, no. 1 (March 1976): 76-85.

In the following essay, Paterson provides a brief overview of early twentieth-century New Zealand poetry, suggesting that it was deeply influenced by the cultural and historical forces that shaped the country at that time.

How does one write down anything about poetry; it is something almost impossible to define and not much easier to evaluate; but we keep attempting (in spite of the difficulties) to trace out the patterns of its development, to determine the influences which have shaped it and to designate the contributions of individual writers—and even of groups of writers. No one is ever much satisfied with the results. The critics and commentators seldom reach agreement; yet the beast goes on weaving its spell like the hydra-head of Medusa, changes its...