The sequence poetry of Robert Penn Warren

Abstract

Within larger poetic volumes, Robert Penn Warren occasionally arranged related short poems under one title to form a sequence of poems. This work explores the impact of the sequence format on the content of the poems. Three specific sequences are discussed: "Promises", "Tale of Time", and "Homage to Emerson: On Night Flight to New York", all written and published between 1950 and 1970. These sequences exhibit Warren’s continued effort to examine his life through his poetry and they offer insight into the different methods he employed to do this.