imagism
C2Literary, academic
Definition
Meaning
A literary movement in early 20th-century poetry that emphasized direct treatment of subject matter, precise imagery, and free verse.
By extension, any approach in art or writing that prioritizes clear, sharp imagery and economy of language.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a historical term for a specific early-modernist poetic movement. It can be used metaphorically to describe a visual or concise style in other arts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or usage differences. The term is used identically in discussions of literary history.
Connotations
Neutral, scholarly. Associated with canonical Anglo-American modernism.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general language, confined to literary studies. Slightly higher frequency in UK due to the movement's origins with T.E. Hulme and the centrality of Pound/Eliot in British modernist studies.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
the imagism of [Author/Poet]a return to imagisminfluenced by imagismVocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in literary criticism and history to denote the early 20th-century movement. E.g., 'The essay traces Hulme's influence on Pound's imagism.'
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Specific term in literary studies; may be used in art criticism by analogy.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The poet sought to imagise the fleeting moment.
American English
- He attempted to imagize the urban landscape.
adjective
British English
- Her later work departed from her earlier imagist phase.
American English
- The anthology featured several imagist poets.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Imagism was an important poetry style long ago.
- Imagism, a movement founded by Ezra Pound, favoured clear and direct language.
- While often seen as a precursor to high modernism, imagism had its own distinct aesthetic principles focused on the luminous detail.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think IMAGE-ism: a movement centred on creating clear, precise mental images.
Conceptual Metaphor
POETRY IS SCULPTURE (carving away excess to reveal the precise image).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'imagery' (образность) which is a broader concept. Imagism is a specific historical school (имажизм).
- Avoid translating as 'воображение' (imagination).
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'imageism'.
- Using it as a general synonym for 'use of imagery'.
- Confusing it with later movements like Symbolism or Vorticism.
Practice
Quiz
What was a central tenet of imagism?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Ezra Pound, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), Richard Aldington, and Amy Lowell are considered key figures.
It was most active between approximately 1912 and 1917.
No. While both use imagery, Symbolism seeks to suggest abstract ideas through indirect, often obscure images, whereas Imagism focuses on the concrete, direct presentation of the image itself.
Only by analogy or metaphor. Historically, it is a strictly literary term for a poetic movement.