Charles Olson's Maximus

xvi, 204 pp. Byrd's is the first to offer an in-depth analysis of the three-volume sequence known as Maximus. This fitful, fragmentary epic revolves around the timeless present of Gloucester, Massachusetts--Olson's home town--where he tries to map out of new mythology to counterbalance the ponderous weight of the heritage of western civilization. Byrd does not analyze Maximus in isolation, but reveals its method and themes within the context of Olson's relation to and growth from the influence of modernist poets Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams. And what we are given to see is the elusive, radical vision of a volatile intelligence.--jacket