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Introduction
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Letters to a Young Poet, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Solitude and Difficulty
Art, Life, and Uncertainty
Patience and Self-Assurance
Mentorship and Guidance
Summary
Analysis
Rilke thanks Kappus for his letter and says that his thanks is all he can offer: he can’t comment on the poems Kappus included with his note. Literary criticism is beyond him, especially because he believes criticism is a poor way of approaching art. Any critical insight about poetry that seems illuminating is actually nothing more than a pleasant “misunderstanding.” Things in life aren’t as tangible and easy to understand as most people think—instead, life is deeply mysterious.
Rilke’s first letter establishes the respect he has for the indescribable nature of art and life. Although it might seem like he’s just trying to avoid commenting on Kappus’s poems, the real reason he doesn’t want to offer many remarks runs much deeper: he doesn’t think analytical criticism has much value in the first place. He’d rather let art exist as a strange, almost unknowable thing than try to break it down with analysis.
Themes
Although he can’t speak at length about Kappus’s poems, Rilke does say that they lack a unique style. Some of the poems have promise and hint at a more personal, individual sensibility, but they still fall short. They don’t stand on their own, and Rilke recognizes that Kappus himself seems to recognize their shortcomings, since he expressed misgivings about his work in his original letter.
Rilke doesn’t worry about hurting Kappus’s feelings when he talks about his poetry. After all, Kappus asked for his thoughts and his advice. However, Rilke only speaks broadly about the poems in question, mainly commenting on the overall style of Kappus’s writing instead of focusing on specific lines, words, or other technical elements. But his overarching comment is actually quite insightful, as it suggests that Kappus hasn’t given himself time to really develop into a unique and individual poet.
Themes
But Rilke can’t tell Kappus whether or not his poetry is good—nobody can. Kappus has sought approval from magazines, hoping they’ll publish him, but Rilke warns him about looking beyond himself when thinking about his own poetry. He must learn to look inward. Rilke urges the young poet to ask himself why he writes and, more importantly, if he would die if he had to stop. If the answer to this question is yes, then Kappus should structure his entire life so that it fulfills his need to write.
Rilke hints at a tendency young artists have to rush into a craft and immediately seek approval for their initial attempts. Kappus, for example, has already sent his poems to magazines in the hopes that they will affirm his artistic efforts. And yet, he’s still just a student! Instead of focusing so much on finding approval and encouragement, Rilke thinks Kappus should simply focus on the poetry itself—if, that is, he feels like he must write. The implication here is that writing poetry is a difficult and thankless task, so Kappus shouldn’t pursue it if he’s only interested in success or praise.
Themes
Rilke advises the young poet to steer clear of old, traditional poetic forms when he’s still starting out. These forms might seem simple, but they actually require great mastery—a love poem, for instance, is deceptively challenging and requires an artist of great maturity to turn it into something special and unique. For now, Kappus ought to work with his own experiences. And if the experiences in his daily life seem mundane and uninteresting, he should reexamine the way he moves through the world. Poets should be able, after all, to find interest in all contexts, even if it means retreating into oneself and delving into memories and inner thoughts.
One of Rilke’s biggest pieces of advice is simply that Kappus should be patient with himself. He should acknowledge that he’s only a beginner. Instead of attempting extremely difficult poetic forms, Kappus should work on something a bit simpler, like recognizing beauty in his daily life. At this point in the letter, Rilke’s advice begins to expand to cover not just art, but life itself. By telling Kappus to appreciate the splendor that can be found in otherwise mundane circumstances, Rilke not only helps the young man find material for his poems but also helps him move through the world in a more rewarding way.
Themes
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If Kappus can retreat into himself to find poetic material in an authentic, patient way, then he’ll see how pointless it is to want others to validate his work. He won’t need magazines to publish his poetry—he’ll know that his art has come from a place of “necessity,” which is the only thing that matters. And if engaging in introspection causes Kappus to realize that he doesn’t need to write, then that would be all right, too—but he’ll have to stop writing. Still, his hard look at his own internal world will have been worthwhile. Rilke signs off his letter by expressing his fondness for Professor Horaček and thanking Kappus for writing.
Rilke’s first letter to Kappus concludes by emphasizing the importance of patience and solitude. He encourages the young poet to spend time with his own thoughts instead of trying to gain approval from other people—such approval, after all, is somewhat worthless. All that matters, according to Rilke, is the poetry itself. But he also recognizes that such an approach isn’t for everyone, which is why he notes that it’s all right if Kappus doesn’t feel like he has to write; if this is the case, so be it, though Rilke thinks the mere process of examining oneself is always worthwhile. Therefore, his advice for Kappus to embrace introspection will be productive even if the young man decides not to apply it to writing.
Themes
