Reminiscent Revelations

"In My Craft or Sullen Art" - Dylan Thomas

"In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.

Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art."

The method and meaning of any work are directly correlative. One does not occur without the other, and the comprehension of one will obviously illuminate the other. In order to understand the techniques an author employs, you first must read the work, a difficult and daunting task, I know. However, I think the best way to discern both the meaning and the method behind a work of literature, or otherwise, is to ask unceasing questions and make unrelenting observations. Many times the same questions that clarify the symbolism and themes of a piece will also help to elucidate the means by which the author created the work. Inquiries such as “why?” and “how?” can always help the audience to apprehend a piece more fully. This level of engagement with a text will vastly improve not only your awareness and knowledge of the piece, but also your connection to it, which will make the experience more intimate, as well as more enjoyable. Once personally invested, it will not be hard to want to interact with the text. Outside research can also enlighten certain aspects of a composition. Knowledge of the author or the era of the work will ultimately enhance the reader's understanding. As the audience begins to realize why the author wrote what (s)he did in the manner that (s)he did, a richer meaning behind the text will subsequently follow.