Reasons for the Obscurity in the Poetry of Dylan Thomas

There is a general charge of obscurity against the poetry of Dylan Thomas among the readers and critics. It is really impossible for the average reader of poetry to enjoy Thomas’s work which is a kind of obstacle-race. This difficulty arises from a number of causes. First, he practices extreme condensation and compression. All superfluity is pains-takingly avoided and words used are often too few, for the thought they convey. Every line is weighty with thought. This condensation and concentration make him an easily memorable poet, thus contributing to his permanence, but is also increases the confusion and incomprehension of the readers.

Further Dylan’s interests were psychological. His aim was to probe deeper into the dark recess of human psyche by using Freud’s investigations. This also made his poetry difficult and even obscure for the average reader. Again Dylan makes extensive use of symbols, the value and significance of which, continues to shift and change from poem to poem. This frequent shift in significance is certainly confusing for the readers. Other causes of obscurity are extensive use of uncommon images and symbols, words, punctuation, pun, pseudo-syntax, incoherence, personal and autobiographical elements, etc.