Floral Decorations for Bananas
"Floral Decorations for Bananas" by Wallace Stevens is a poem that juxtaposes the elegance of traditional floral arrangements with the crude and exotic nature of bananas. The speaker criticizes the choice of bananas as a decorative element, suggesting they clash with the refined setting symbolized by eglantine and eighteenth-century dishes. The poem uses vivid imagery to describe the bananas as insolent and hurricane-like, contrasting them with the expected decorum of plums and delicate buds. The speaker imagines the table set by an ogre, emphasizing the bananas' incongruity with the refined atmosphere. The poem concludes with a suggestion to adorn the bananas with leaves from Carib trees, further highlighting their wild and untamed nature. Through this contrast, Stevens explores themes of aesthetic discord and the tension between the exotic and the conventional.
By Wallace Stevens · First published 1935 · Genre: Modernist Poetry, Surreal Poetry, Imagist Poetry · 227 words
First lines
Well, nuncle, this plainly won't do. These insolent, linear peels And sullen, hurricane shapes Won't do with your eglantine. They require something serpentine. Blunt yellow in such a room!
You should have had plums tonight, In an eighteenth-century dish, And pettifogging buds, For the women of primrose and purl, Each one in her decent curl. Good God! What a precious light!
But bananas hacked and hunched. The table was set by an ogre, His eye on an outdoor gloom And a stiff and noxious place. Pile the bananas on planks. The women will be all shanks And bangles and slatted eyes.
What this Textopian page supports
Floral Decorations for Bananas is listed on Textopian as a poem by Wallace Stevens, dated 1935 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Wallace Stevens
- Date: 1935 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Poetry, Surreal Poetry, Imagist Poetry, Absurdist Poetry, Experimental Poetry
- Length: 227 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Floral Decorations for Bananas by Wallace Stevens
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Floral Decorations for Bananas?
- How does this poem by Wallace Stevens fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Modernist Poetry first become important in the reading?
Genres
- Modernist Poetry — The abstract imagery and non-linear narrative style are characteristic of modernist subjects, reflecting Wallace Stevens' signature approach.
- Surreal Poetry — The work features bizarre juxtapositions and dream-like imagery, invoking a surreal quality that defies conventional logic.
- Imagist Poetry — The concise, vivid images—such as the floral and banana motifs—emphasize clarity and precision typical of imagist techniques.
- Absurdist Poetry — The unconventional language and illogical associations create an atmosphere of absurdity that challenges traditional poetic expectations.
Tags
surreal · whimsical · absurd · imaginative · poetic · modernist · symbolic · dreamlike · metaphorical · visual · abstract · vivid