22 pages 44 minutes read

E. E. Cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1940

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

"in Just" by E. E. Cummings (1920)

In one of his most famous poems, Cummings writes about the “mud-luscious” (Lines 2-3) world of spring where children play games and run through puddles; meanwhile, an ominous “balloonman” (Lines 4, 12, and 21) whistles “far and wee” (Lines 5, 13, and 22-24). The poem, like many of Cummings’s poems, is ambiguous and contains different possible interpretations. Many critics see the balloonman as the Greek god Pan, suggesting the poem is a metaphorical, surreal story about the change from childhood to adulthood. In this poem, similar to “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” Cummings compares seasons to human life, as here spring and childhood go hand in hand.

In one of his most romantic poems, Cummings uses more seasonal imagery as well as the image of a flower to describe the love the speaker has for the subject. One of the poem’s motifs is the act of opening and closing, comparing people’s hearts and minds to open flower petals and enclosed hands. This poem is another example of Cummings’s unique style and inversions of conventions.

Related Titles

By E. E. Cummings

Study Guide

logo

“[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]”

E. E. Cummings

“[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]”

E. E. Cummings

Study Guide

logo

[love is more thicker than forget]

E. E. Cummings

[love is more thicker than forget]

E. E. Cummings

Study Guide

logo

Spring is like a perhaps hand

E. E. Cummings

Spring is like a perhaps hand

E. E. Cummings