Article #353-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from In Flanders Fields, and Other Poems, by John McCrae

It will be observed at once by reference to the text that in form the
two poems are identical. They contain the same number of lines and
feet as surely as all sonnets do. Each travels upon two rhymes with the
members of a broken couplet in widely separated refrain. To the casual
reader this much is obvious, but there are many subtleties in the verse
which made the authorship inevitable. It was a form upon which he had
worked for years, and made his own. When the moment arrived the medium
was ready. No other medium could have so well conveyed the thought.

This familiarity with his verse was not a matter of accident. For many
years I was editor of the 'University Magazine', and those who are
curious about such things may discover that one half of the poems
contained in this little book were first published upon its pages. This
magazine had its origin in McGill University, Montreal, in the year
1902. Four years later its borders were enlarged to the wider term,
and it strove to express an educated opinion upon questions immediately
concerning Canada, and to treat freely in a literary way all matters
which have to do with politics, industry, philosophy, science, and art.

To this magazine during those years John McCrae contributed all his
verse. It was therefore not unseemly that I should have written to him,
when "In Flanders Fields" appeared in 'Punch'. Amongst his papers I find
my poor letter, and many others of which something more might be made if
one were concerned merely with the literary side of his life rather than
with his life itself. Two references will be enough. Early in 1905 he
offered "The Pilgrims" for publication. I notified him of the place
assigned to it in the magazine, and added a few words of appreciation,
and after all these years it has come back to me.

Explanation

This excerpt is from the preface to In Flanders Fields, and Other Poems (1919), a posthumous collection of poetry by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian physician, soldier, and poet best known for his iconic war poem "In Flanders Fields" (1915). The preface is written by Sir Andrew Macphail, a close friend, fellow physician, and former editor of the University Magazine, where many of McCrae’s early poems were published. Below is a detailed breakdown of the passage, focusing on its content, themes, literary context, and significance, with an emphasis on the text itself.

1. Context of the Excerpt

Source & Purpose: This is part of Macphail’s introductory remarks in the 1919 collection, which was published after McCrae’s death in 1918 (from pneumonia and meningitis while serving in WWI). The preface serves to:
- Authenticate McCrae’s poetic style (distinguishing it from imitators).
- Trace the evolution of his work through his contributions to the University Magazine.
- Provide personal insight into McCrae’s literary habits and their relationship.
Audience: Readers of the collection, many of whom would have been familiar with "In Flanders Fields" (already famous by 1919) but not necessarily with McCrae’s broader poetic output.

2. Key Themes in the Excerpt

A. Poetic Form as Personal Signature

Macphail emphasizes that McCrae’s poems in the collection share a distinct, recurring structure:
- Identical form: The two poems he references (likely "In Flanders Fields" and another, such as "The Pilgrims") have the same number of lines, metrical feet, and rhyme scheme, including a broken couplet refrain (a technique where a rhyming couplet is split and repeated at intervals).
- Subtleties of style: While the form might seem simple to a "casual reader," Macphail argues that McCrae’s mastery of this structure was deliberate and unique—so much so that his authorship is "inevitable" when reading his work.
- Quote Analysis:
  "It was a form upon which he had worked for years, and made his own. When the moment arrived the medium was ready."
  - This suggests McCrae perfected his craft over time, and when the emotional weight of WWI demanded expression (the "moment"), his pre-existing poetic "medium" was perfectly suited to convey it. The implication is that "In Flanders Fields" was not a spontaneous outburst but the culmination of years of practice.

B. Literary Community and Publication History

Macphail provides biographical context for McCrae’s poetic development:
- The University Magazine: Founded at McGill University in 1902, it expanded in 1906 to cover broader Canadian intellectual life. McCrae was a regular contributor, and Macphail (as editor) was his first literary gatekeeper.
- Early Recognition: Macphail’s personal letters (e.g., his response to "The Pilgrims" in 1905) show that McCrae’s talent was acknowledged long before his fame. The line "it has come back to me" underscores the cyclical nature of memory and legacy—Macphail is literally holding a piece of their shared past.
- Quote Analysis:
  "It was therefore not unseemly that I should have written to him, when 'In Flanders Fields' appeared in Punch."
  - "Unseemly" implies a natural, almost obligatory connection between them, reinforcing the idea that Macphail was not just an editor but a longtime supporter of McCrae’s work.

C. The Intersection of Life and Art

Macphail downplays the "literary side" of McCrae’s life in favor of his life itself:
- The preface hints that McCrae’s poetry was inextricable from his experiences—as a soldier, physician, and observer of war. The form he "made his own" was not just a technical exercise but a vehicle for profound emotion.
- Implied Contrast: While Macphail could focus on the "literary" (e.g., analyzing McCrae’s rhyme schemes), he chooses instead to humanize the poet, framing his work as an extension of his character.

3. Literary Devices in the Excerpt

Macphail’s prose is measured and authoritative, using devices to reinforce his points:

Metaphor:
- "the medium was ready" → Poetry is a medium (like a tool or channel) that McCrae had prepared for the right moment.
- "borders were enlarged" → The magazine’s growth is described spatially, suggesting intellectual expansion.
Parallelism:
- "politics, industry, philosophy, science, and art" → A litany of disciplines to emphasize the magazine’s broad scope.
Irony/Understatement:
- "my poor letter" → Macphail diminishes his own writing to elevate McCrae’s poetry, a humble gesture that also highlights the lasting value of McCrae’s work.
Allusion:
- Reference to Punch (a prominent British magazine) legitimizes McCrae’s fame while contrasting with the University Magazine’s more intimate, Canadian roots.

4. Significance of the Excerpt

A. Authenticating McCrae’s Voice

Macphail’s discussion of form and authorship serves to protect McCrae’s legacy. By 1919, "In Flanders Fields" was widely anthologized and imitated; Macphail ensures readers recognize the originality of McCrae’s style.
The broken couplet refrain he mentions is a hallmark of "In Flanders Fields" (e.g., the repeated "In Flanders fields" lines), which gives the poem its haunting, cyclical quality.

B. The Role of Community in Art

The excerpt democratizes literary fame: McCrae’s poems first appeared in a university magazine, not a major publisher. This underscores how local, intellectual communities (like McGill’s) can nurture great art.
Macphail’s personal anecdotes (e.g., the 1905 letter) humanize the creative process, showing that even iconic poems emerge from collaborative, everyday exchanges.

C. War Poetry and Form

Macphail’s claim that "no other medium could have so well conveyed the thought" is a defense of traditional poetic structures in an era of modernist experimentation (e.g., free verse). For McCrae, formality and restraint (sonnet-like structures, precise rhymes) were essential to expressing grief and duty—a contrast to the chaotic brutality of war.

D. Canadian Literary Identity

The University Magazine’s shift from McGill to a national focus mirrors Canada’s emerging cultural identity in the early 20th century. McCrae’s poetry, though universal in theme, is rooted in Canadian institutions, reinforcing a distinctly Canadian contribution to war literature.

5. Connection to "In Flanders Fields"*

While the excerpt doesn’t quote the famous poem, it illuminates its creation:

The "moment" Macphail refers to is likely May 1915, when McCrae wrote the poem after presiding over the burial of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, in Belgium.
The broken couplet refrain in "In Flanders Fields" (e.g., "We are the Dead. Short days ago / We lived...") creates a dialogue between the living and the dead, a structure Macphail suggests McCrae had long practiced.
The sonnet-like form (though not a strict sonnet) gives the poem its musical, memorial quality, fitting for a funeral elegy that also serves as a call to action (the final stanza’s plea to "take up our quarrel").

6. Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

Macphail’s preface is more than a literary analysis—it’s a testimony to friendship, craft, and the power of poetry to transcend its moment. By focusing on form, history, and personal connection, he:

Elevates McCrae’s work beyond a single famous poem.
Links poetry to lived experience, showing how art emerges from community and discipline.
Preserves a record of how war poetry was created, shared, and received in its time.

The excerpt ultimately argues that "In Flanders Fields" was not a fluke but the inevitable masterpiece of a poet who had spent years preparing his voice—only to find its truest expression in the crucible of war.

Further Reading:

"In Flanders Fields" (1915) – The full poem, with its rhyme scheme (AABBA / CCDD / EE) and refrain structure.
"The Pilgrims" (1905) – An earlier McCrae poem to compare for formal similarities.
McCrae’s letters – Many reveal his ambivalence about fame and his dedication to medicine and duty.

Questions

Question 1

The preface’s assertion that McCrae’s poetic form was "a form upon which he had worked for years, and made his own" primarily serves to:

A. dismiss the influence of contemporary poetic trends on McCrae’s style.
B. suggest that McCrae’s technical mastery was incidental to his emotional expression.
C. imply that the structural rigidity of his poems limited their thematic depth.
D. authenticate his authorship by emphasizing the idiosyncratic nature of his craft.
E. argue that his later fame was disproportionate to his earlier, more experimental work.

Question 2

The phrase "it was not unseemly that I should have written to him" most strongly conveys a tone of:

A. reluctant obligation, as though Macphail felt compelled by professional decorum.
B. nostalgic detachment, framing their correspondence as a relic of a distant past.
C. ironic humility, undermining the significance of his own editorial role.
D. defensive pride, asserting his rightful place in McCrae’s literary legacy.
E. quiet intimacy, suggesting a longstanding personal and intellectual bond.

Question 3

Macphail’s decision to mention that "one half of the poems contained in this little book were first published upon its [the University Magazine’s] pages" is most likely intended to:

A. critique the commercial publishing industry for overlooking McCrae’s talent.
B. highlight the magazine’s role as a platform for amateur rather than professional poets.
C. imply that McCrae’s best work was produced before his military service.
D. underscore the organic development of McCrae’s voice within a specific literary community.
E. contrast the magazine’s regional focus with the global reach of Punch.

Question 4

The claim that "no other medium could have so well conveyed the thought" rests on an assumption that:

A. poetic form is inherently superior to prose for expressing complex emotions.
B. McCrae’s technical innovations were uniquely suited to the subject matter of war.
C. the sonnet structure he employed was the only viable option for elegy in the early 20th century.
D. readers of the time were more receptive to traditional verse than to modernist experimentation.
E. the convergence of personal history and artistic discipline made his chosen form inevitable.

Question 5

The preface’s treatment of McCrae’s literary reputation is most analogous to:

A. a curator’s cataloging of an artist’s lesser-known sketches to contextualize a famous painting.
B. a biographer’s use of private letters to reveal the human dimensions of a public figure.
C. a critic’s dissection of a poet’s technical flaws to explain their decline in popularity.
D. an editor’s posthumous revisions to align an author’s work with contemporary tastes.
E. a historian’s argument that a cultural artifact’s significance lies in its political impact rather than its aesthetic merit.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The passage explicitly frames McCrae’s poetic form as a distinctive, personalized signature—one so refined that his authorship becomes "inevitable" upon reading. Macphail’s emphasis on the subtleties of his verse and the years of deliberate practice ("a form upon which he had worked for years") serves to authenticate McCrae’s work against potential imitators or misattributions. This aligns with the broader purpose of a preface in a posthumous collection: to establish authority and originality.