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These lists of John Ashbery’s stated influences and interests from the cultural world were begun by Micaela Morrissette for internal use at the Ashbery Resource Center (ARC). The project would have been designed differently if it had been intended for public use—a wider range of clarifying information would have been noted, especially regarding the context in which the remarks were made. As the project progresses, new citations will contain more specific information, and listings from the original sets will be expanded as time and resources allow.
The source of these citations is the material in the archive at ARC. At this time, the archive itself is not complete and only partially processed; as a result, these lists are non-comprehensive works-in-progress. The citations are culled from interviews with Ashbery and other published statements made by him (excluding, for now, Ashbery’s “blurbs” written expressly for purposes of publicity and promotion, formal prose pieces, and statements made as judge, juror or nominator for competitions, prizes, etc.). A complete list of sources for the references cited here may be found here.
Some entries are taken from detailed remarks by Ashbery, while others are passing references. We have included many of the passing references to certain artists and works because the frequency of the reference itself may be significant, and the language in which a passing reference is expressed may be meaningful for a researcher with a particular thesis. Please note that, because material is included based on the compiler’s assessment of its importance, ultimately these lists are subjective.
Because many of Ashbery’s references to various influences and interests were stated briefly, it is especially important to consider the actual language and context of the citation before drawing conclusions. Some cautionary examples: The Norma Shearer film Her Cardboard Lover appears on the Cinema list, yet Ashbery had not seen it when he wrote his poem of the same title; Akira Kurosawa appears on the Cinema list, yet Ashbery not only had not seen the film (the French title of which he borrowed and translated for his poem “If the Birds Knew”), but the film was actually released under a different title. In both these cases, although Ashbery’s influences come from the field of cinema, his interest is not in the particular film itself but in the language of its title. Similarly, although Puccini appears on the Music list, Ashbery mentioned that he does not much care for Puccini’s work; it was the title of the aria “E lucevan le stele,” not the aria itself, that caught his attention.
Please be aware that artists, works or characters may not appear on the lists one might assume. The nature or format of that to which Ashbery refers will determine the category to which it is assigned. For example, Giorgio de Chirico is found on both the Literature and Visual Arts lists because Ashbery cites both de Chirico’s writing and his painting at various times. However, Andy Warhol is on the Cinema list rather than the Visual Arts list because Ashbery cites Warhol’s film The Chelsea Girls as an influence on his poem “Litany.” Similarly, Daffy Duck is on the Cinema list, while Popeye is on the Visual Arts list, because Ashbery’s specific references are to Daffy Duck as a character in animated cartoons and to Popeye as a comic strip. We will add cross-references among the various lists in the future, as time and resources allow. A citation for an influence on a poem or book by Ashbery may point to other influences on the same poem or book. However, no attempt has been made to note or cross-reference a complete set of influences each time a particular work is mentioned. For example, W.H. Auden is given as an influence on Ashbery’s book Three Poems, and Auden’s citation points to two other influences on that book as a whole. However, the Auden citation does not refer to other influences on Ashbery’s poem “The System,” which appears in Three Poems, nor does the citation for Jack Armstrong, an influence on “The System,” reference Auden.
Without a doubt, our selection of online resources fails to include many excellent websites. We have tried not to list sites that appear on pages to which we link. In cases where we have found that our own research has been duplicated or exceeded by human-edited web directories such as dmoz or LookSmart, we have linked to those directories in order to provide as many links as possible. (Please note that only "directory" and "article" results for LookSmart are human-edited; "web" results are not.) We have attempted to select sites that provide general biographical information, samples of the work, and critical responses. We have screened the sites for variety and for quality of information and presentation, but we cannot be responsible for the accuracy of statements made on sites other than ours. Our intention is not to provide comprehensive links for all artists and works listed, but rather to give users an immediate opportunity to assess possible connections between Ashbery's own work and the person or work he has cited. We encourage users to explore independently Ashbery's relationships with these artists and works.
Please let us know if you are experiencing technical difficulties with the links to online resources, or with other aspects of this site.
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