Participation Type
Paper
Session Abstract or Summary
Abstract: Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry and the Halieutic Image
Jim Wayne Miller uses the images of streams and angling to explore the transition areas of his home region of Appalachia in his poetry. Miller himself had a deep connection to fishing and his experiences influenced his poetry. Examples of this can be found in the various ways he employs fish or fishing in his works and the halieutic nature of many of his poems themselves. I argue that much of his usage of these images falls into at least one of three general categories. First, he uses angling to discuss and explore the Appalachian region and its culture generally. Second, Miller references these images to discuss local spiritually, metaphysical or existential questions, or to examine religious constructs. Third, the stream or act of fishing is used as a platform for his characters to experience healing, self-expression, and restoration. Investigating these images can help deepen a reader’s understanding for his verse and shed light on the complexity of the concerns he expresses in his other works.
Much of Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry concerning fishing falls into the traditional definition of the what is sometimes described as the American piscatory pastoral. His pastoral images, like most others, often center on the idea of a rural or wilderness setting, and is firmly positioned on agrarian themes. Though Miller does not shy away from referencing the surrounding neighborhood of roads and businesses, his poems contain no instance where a person fishes within an urban area. Much of the creative work regarding fishing tends to spiritualize the experience, but Miller seems concerned with the humanity of his characters and refrains from allowing the exaltation of the sport to supersede his other queries. By inserting the regional culture into his use of angling, Jim Wayne Miller examines the dialogue of the interaction of men and fish in the Appalachian Mountains.
Presentation #1 Title
Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry and the Halieutic Image
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Abstract: Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry and the Halieutic Image
Jim Wayne Miller uses the images of streams and angling to explore the transition areas of his home region of Appalachia in his poetry. Miller himself had a deep connection to fishing and his experiences influenced his poetry. Examples of this can be found in the various ways he employs fish or fishing in his works and the halieutic nature of many of his poems themselves. I argue that much of his usage of these images falls into at least one of three general categories. First, he uses angling to discuss and explore the Appalachian region and its culture generally. Second, Miller references these images to discuss local spiritually, metaphysical or existential questions, or to examine religious constructs. Third, the stream or act of fishing is used as a platform for his characters to experience healing, self-expression, and restoration. Investigating these images can help deepen a reader’s understanding for his verse and shed light on the complexity of the concerns he expresses in his other works.
Much of Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry concerning fishing falls into the traditional definition of the what is sometimes described as the American piscatory pastoral. His pastoral images, like most others, often center on the idea of a rural or wilderness setting, and is firmly positioned on agrarian themes. Though Miller does not shy away from referencing the surrounding neighborhood of roads and businesses, his poems contain no instance where a person fishes within an urban area. Much of the creative work regarding fishing tends to spiritualize the experience, but Miller seems concerned with the humanity of his characters and refrains from allowing the exaltation of the sport to supersede his other queries. By inserting the regional culture into his use of angling, Jim Wayne Miller examines the dialogue of the interaction of men and fish in the Appalachian Mountains.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Biographical Information
Micah McCrotty is a graduate student at East Tennessee State University seeking a Masters Degree in English. He received his undergraduate degree from Johnson University just south of Knoxville and worked in disability services for a number of years before returning to school to begin his current course of study. His analysis of Miller’s poetry is influenced by his avid pursuit of outdoor hobbies such fly fishing and rock climbing.
Conference Subthemes
Education
Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry and the Halieutic Image
Abstract: Jim Wayne Miller’s Poetry and the Halieutic Image
Jim Wayne Miller uses the images of streams and angling to explore the transition areas of his home region of Appalachia in his poetry. Miller himself had a deep connection to fishing and his experiences influenced his poetry. Examples of this can be found in the various ways he employs fish or fishing in his works and the halieutic nature of many of his poems themselves. I argue that much of his usage of these images falls into at least one of three general categories. First, he uses angling to discuss and explore the Appalachian region and its culture generally. Second, Miller references these images to discuss local spiritually, metaphysical or existential questions, or to examine religious constructs. Third, the stream or act of fishing is used as a platform for his characters to experience healing, self-expression, and restoration. Investigating these images can help deepen a reader’s understanding for his verse and shed light on the complexity of the concerns he expresses in his other works.
Much of Jim Wayne Miller’s poetry concerning fishing falls into the traditional definition of the what is sometimes described as the American piscatory pastoral. His pastoral images, like most others, often center on the idea of a rural or wilderness setting, and is firmly positioned on agrarian themes. Though Miller does not shy away from referencing the surrounding neighborhood of roads and businesses, his poems contain no instance where a person fishes within an urban area. Much of the creative work regarding fishing tends to spiritualize the experience, but Miller seems concerned with the humanity of his characters and refrains from allowing the exaltation of the sport to supersede his other queries. By inserting the regional culture into his use of angling, Jim Wayne Miller examines the dialogue of the interaction of men and fish in the Appalachian Mountains.
