How E E Cummings’s most famous love poem reaches towards transcendence of self
One of the most influential American poets of the 20th century, E E Cummings is famous for his experimental, distinctive use of capitalisation, punctuation and structure. In this video essay, Evan Puschak (also known as The Nerdwriter) explores one of Cummings’s most accessible and well-known poems, ‘[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]’ (1952). In the poem’s stylised yet seemingly effortless language, parentheses and stanza breaks Puschak finds a masterful, graceful attempt to write about transcendent love that itself reaches beyond words.
Video by The Nerdwriter