The Paper Nautilus

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1961

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“An Octopus” by Marianne Moore (1924)

While “The Paper Nautilus” zoomed readers into certain particulars of a paper nautilus, it is much shorter in comparison to “An Octopus,” deemed Moore’s response to William Carlos Williams’s epic poem “The Wastelands.” Here, we see Moore dive into a free verse meditation while addressing an octopus, using description of the animal and natural landscapes to explore themes of language, meaning, and possession.

“Poetry” by Marianna Moore (1919)

This is a famous poem of Moore’s, an imaginative ars poetica, a poem about writing and the act of writing, exploration of images, lyrical moments, and love for poetry. “I too dislike it,” it starts, as she ruminates on the merits of poetry, art, and its importance.

“The Chambered Nautilus” by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1858)

The paper nautilus is a motif appearing in poems throughout different points in literary history. Moore’s “The Paper Nautilus” uses a similar form to “The Chambered Nautilus,” with five stanzas and seven lines each.

Further Literary Resources

Poetry, Photography, Ekphrasis: Lyrical Representations of Photographs from the 19th Century to the Present by Andrew Miller (2016)

In this book, Miller explores poetry in the age of photography. Changing the landscape of visual accessibility, photography naturally expanded the idea of the image, and this flowed over to the literary and poetry landscape. Miller provides an in-depth analysis of Moore’s use of photography to inform her poems.

"On “The Paper Nautilus”" by Jeanne Heuving, Grace Shulman, Joanne Feit Diehl, Sabine Sielke, and Yin-ling Lin (2006)

This online resource provides key sections from publications analyzing Moore’s poem “The Paper Nautilus.” From subject to form, each writer analyzes the poem, from a social, historical, or literary perspective, providing insight into Moore’s choices as a writer in the poem and as a major literary figure of modern American poetry.