Unity of Opposites: A Study of Ezra Pound’s Paradoxes

Ezra Pound stands as one of the most captivating, influential yet contentious icons of twentieth-century literary modernism. A versatile poet, critic, editor, translator and cultural reformer, he revolutionized modern poetic language and literary critical norms, while his probing intellectual inquiries stretched across politics, economics, religion and cross-cultural studies. Plagued by pervasive contradictions threading through his life and oeuvre, he has long split academia between fervent admiration and stern censure, spawning abundant scholarly discussions that either excavate hidden consistency beneath his conflicting stances or diagnose his thought as fundamentally incoherent. Departing from such critical controversies, this book refrains from settling the full “Pound problem” but centres on the recurring paradox embedded in his ideology, unpacking four persistent ideological tensions: subjectivity versus objectivity, unity against diversity, tradition clashing with innovation, and the cross-cultural exchange between East and West. Ostensibly irreconcilable, these paradoxes do not stem from muddled reasoning, but embody Pound’s lifelong quest to reconcile opposing forces without eliminating either side of their tension. Key concepts anchor his reconciliatory pursuit: the Image bridges subjective perception and objective expression; Fenollosa-inspired Ideogram harmonizes unity and pluralism; the maxim “Make It New” balances heritage and originality; cross-cultural mediation facilitates Eastern-Western communication. Rooted in earlier research and undistracted by evolving Pound scholarship, this work lingers on its core inquiry: how conflicting doctrines coexist coherently within Pound’s poetic system.