“New Poetry” in Early-Twentieth-Century Northern California: George Sterling’s “Night-Sentries” and “The Last Days”
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Abstract
This article aims to challenge the critical perception of early twentieth-century Northern California poetry as a continuation of nineteenth-century Romanticism. Focusing on two overlooked poems by George Sterling, “Night-Sentries” (1913) and “The Last Days” (1914), this study analyzes how these texts reflect a modern thematic sensibility aligned with the principles of the “new poetry” movement —as defined by Harriet Monroe— despite their use of traditional formal elements. Through close reading and drawing on recent scholarship that reconsiders the dominance of formalist criteria in literary analysis, I argue that Sterling’s work engages with contemporary realities and participates in broader national currents of poetic renewal during the 1910s. In doing so, it repositions Northern California poetry as an active and innovative part of early twentieth-century American literature.
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