Definition

1. Noun:
   • A literary movement in early 20th-century poetry: Imagism was a movement by American and English poets that emerged as a reaction against Victorian sentimentality and ornate language. It emphasized the use of precise, clear, and concrete imagery, common speech, and free verse.

Usage

• Imagism is used as a proper noun to refer to a specific historical literary movement. It is typically discussed in the context of early modernist poetry.
• Example:

Examples

• Noun:
  • Ezra Pound was a central figure in the Imagism movement.
  • Imagism advocated for direct treatment of the "thing," whether subjective or objective.
  • The principles of Imagism were outlined in a few seminal manifestos.

Advanced Usage

• While primarily a historical term, "imagism" (lowercase) can sometimes be used more generally to describe a style or technique that prioritizes vivid imagery.
  • The novelist's descriptive prose has a kind of cinematic imagism.

Variants and Related Words

• Imagist (noun): A poet who practices or is associated with Imagism.
  • Pound, H.D., and Amy Lowell were leading Imagists.
• Imagist (adjective): Relating to Imagism or its principles.
  • Her poetry has an Imagist clarity and concision.

Synonyms

• Modernist poetry (broader category)
• Free verse movement (describing a key formal characteristic)

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "An imagist poem": A poem written according to the principles of Imagism.
  • "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound is a classic imagist poem.

Noun

1. a movement by American and English poets early in the 20th century in reaction to Victorian sentimentality; used common speech in free verse with clear concrete imagery