Imagism was a movement in early
20th century Anglo-American poetry. It rejected
romantic and sentimental
Victorian traditions in favour of precision of imagery in clear, sharp language. Imagist principles were articulated by
Ezra Pound,
H.D., and
Richard Aldington in a manifesto published in the March,
1913 issue of
Poetry under the pseudonym "F.S. Flint."
The three tenets of the Imagist Manifesto:
- Direct treatment of the "thing", whether subjective or objective.
- To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation.
- As regarding rhythm: to compose in sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of the metronome.