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Lowell's patnClan exactitudes appealed to the Latinate element in
Ransom: tennis was fine, but not as fine as Virgil. A year later Ran–
som told Tate that he was doubtful about Jarrell: "I'm not sure
whether he's got a career ahead of him or not." His poems were "almost
ruined by his attempt to put into practice Empson's doctrine of am–
biguity." A lively teacher "when he's interested," Jarrell asked Ran–
som if he ever got bored, "and intimated that this was rather his
stock condition teaching Freshmen." Ransom was irritated:
A man of his age and ill prospects has no business getting bored
by his job. He's returning here one more year.
Ransom may have wanted Tate to tell Jarrell to pull himself to–
gether: he must have known that Tate and Jarrell were on lively
terms.
Jarrell practiced his pugnacity on Tate and met a master in that
style. But there were signs of edginess between them, too. Many
years later, when the editorship of
The Kenyon Review
fell vacant, J ar–
rell's name came up, but Tate advised Ransom against him . Ran–
som had his own misgivings:
I have said to the old President, and the present one, too, that
Jarrell is too polemical and stylistically too journalistic and per–
sonally too fond of his enemies (of having enemies) to be accept–
able .
But Ransom cared too much for justice to let such a stark record
stand :
But right now I'm inclined to think he might be the right man for
our unusual situation. His way of life in a small community
would make a riffle, and there would be many incidents, but
after (Fred) Santee's stay here I think the town can take any–
body; and then I have yet to find inJarrell a lack of courage or of
principle. I've always respected him for the way he will pitch into
a question which puts the Jew at a disadvantage; even though he
might pass for a Gentile if he kept quiet; and of course for his
readiness to fight for unpopular causes, which indeed, being ag–
gressive on principle, he rather enjoys.
In the event, it didn't matter. Jarrell was offered the editorship but
