Ballet and the Subway: Exploring Edwin Denby's Works
Faculty Mentor
Jonathan Johnson
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
5-7-2025 1:20 PM
End Date
5-7-2025 1:40 PM
Location
PUB 323
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Creative Writing
Abstract
Edwin Denby (1903-1983) is primarily known for his contributions as a dance critic. While often overlooked as a less significant figure in the Modernist movement, his writings anticipate the works of O’Hara and Ashberry, among others in the New York School. Denby’s reimagining of classical forms through a focus on urban subject matter and manipulation of rhyme and meter is a trademark of his poetic technique, providing him with a unique lens to describe the choreography of everyday life. This paper will utilize a primarily Formalist approach, examining Denby’s poem, “The Subway,” in conversation with other poems, while also connecting Denby’s work to predecessors and contemporaries. Through an acknowledgment of Denby’s varied artistic practices, biographical information, and influences, we can better understand the whole of his work and be encouraged to consider interdisciplinary influences as a possible lens through which to experience art in new ways.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Grace Anne, "Ballet and the Subway: Exploring Edwin Denby's Works" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 13.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/op_2025/o4_2025/13
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Ballet and the Subway: Exploring Edwin Denby's Works
PUB 323
Edwin Denby (1903-1983) is primarily known for his contributions as a dance critic. While often overlooked as a less significant figure in the Modernist movement, his writings anticipate the works of O’Hara and Ashberry, among others in the New York School. Denby’s reimagining of classical forms through a focus on urban subject matter and manipulation of rhyme and meter is a trademark of his poetic technique, providing him with a unique lens to describe the choreography of everyday life. This paper will utilize a primarily Formalist approach, examining Denby’s poem, “The Subway,” in conversation with other poems, while also connecting Denby’s work to predecessors and contemporaries. Through an acknowledgment of Denby’s varied artistic practices, biographical information, and influences, we can better understand the whole of his work and be encouraged to consider interdisciplinary influences as a possible lens through which to experience art in new ways.
