Unlike many contemporary artists, edward estlin cummings made no attempt
to formulate a theoretical basis for the concept of reality which is reflected in
his work. His statements about what he considered real, and how he
perceived truth were often rather confusing. Nevertheless, critics describe him
as a serious poet with a philosophical framework behind his oeuvre. Yet,
there are many different views on how it is exactly organized. This framework
is the object of analysis in the study at hand. Nina von Dahlern discusses its
structure, its inconsistencies, and also how these inconsistencies originate. At
the same time an answer to the question why cummings' poems can still
move today's readers in the way they do is formulated. The present
monograph focuses on his love poetry, because love is the essential part of
cummings' concept of reality. The dynamic development of reality the poet
envisages led to the inclusion of sociological theories that understand the
sociohistorical reality as a process in this study. The analysis of his concept of
reality and its sociohistorical background results in a comprehensive thesis
about his work as well as about its impact on the reader.