The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces

"The Circus, and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces" by Joyce Kilmer is a collection of essays written in the early 20th century. This work captures Kilmer's keen observations and reflections on everyday life, art, and the human experience, presenting a blend of humor and insight. Each essay explores various themes, including the circus as a metaphor for life, the significance of faith, and the role of poets in society. The opening of this collection initiates the reader into Kilmer’s unique perspective through a lively examination of the circus. He contrasts its moral and religious values with perceptions from the public, emphasizing how the circus embodies faith and wonder in a mundane world. Kilmer skillfully employs humor and rich imagery to discuss the various characters and spectacles found within the circus, making it a compelling metaphor for everyday adventures and democratizing experiences. This slice of Kilmer’s work sets the tone for the essays to follow, infusing them with a sense of joy in the ordinary amidst wider societal commentaries. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his Catholic faith, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. At the time of his deployment to Europe during World War I, Kilmer was considered the leading American Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to British contemporaries G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) and Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953). He enlisted in the New York National Guard and was deployed to France with the 69th Infantry Regiment in 1917. He was killed by a sniper's bullet at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31. He was married to Aline Murray, also an accomplished poet and author, with whom he had five children.