Of Men and Ghosts: Delmore Schwartz’s Re-visitation of the Greek Chorus

Abstract

Among the many elements of interest we encounter in Delmore Schwartz’s literary production, the re-visitation of the Greek chorus is particularly relevant. Its innovatory appeal, in fact, never ignores the call of tradition, and is rooted in the main issues of American culture, from immigration and problematic assimilation to the rise of consumer society and mass media. Through the presence of various versions of the chorus, which is alternatively composed of men, ghosts, angels, or even mere voices, and shifting from drama to poetry and vice-versa, the contemporary reader can get an extraordinary focus on the literary, psychological, and social background of the period spanning from the 1930s to the 1950s, while reconsidering the meaning of the chorus from different perspectives in the light of Schwartz’s prophetic insight into the deep changes the new millennium was going to bring about in such fields as communication, consciousness, identity, and collectivity.