Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature
Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015
Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The…
Full specification wording
Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The Modernist Period – The Great Modern Poets, editor Michael Schmidt (Quercus, 2014): The Hunters in the Snow
William Carlos Williams’s ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ is a quintessential ekphrastic poem that translates Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1565 painting into sparse, Modernist verse.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 9 of 21
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
William Carlos Williams’s ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ is a quintessential ekphrastic poem that translates Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1565 painting into sparse, Modernist verse. Williams employs Imagist principles, stripping away subjective emotion to present a purely objective, visual experience. The poem is structured in unrhymed tercets with heavy enjambment, forcing the reader’s eye to move down the page much like a viewer scanning a canvas. By focusing on mundane, specific details—such as the broken inn sign, the women building a fire, and the exhausted dogs—Williams rejects grand, romanticised narratives. Instead, he captures the harsh, unyielding reality of winter and the quiet dignity of ordinary human survival, demonstrating the Modernist shift towards precise, unadorned language.
What earns the marks
- Analyse the use of ekphrasis and how Williams translates visual art into poetic form.
- Evaluate the impact of the poem's structure, specifically the use of unrhymed tercets and enjambment to control reading pace.
- Discuss the application of Imagist principles, noting the absence of subjective commentary and the reliance on concrete imagery.
- Explore the thematic focus on the mundane and the harsh realities of winter, contrasting with romanticised views of nature.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the poem as a simple description of winter.
Put it right: Analyse it as an ekphrastic response to Bruegel's specific painting, noting how Williams selects and sequences visual details.
Claiming the poem is highly emotional or romantic.
Put it right: Recognise the objective, detached tone characteristic of Imagism, where emotion is conveyed implicitly through concrete images.
Ignoring the poem's form.
Put it right: Discuss how the short lines, tercets, and enjambment mimic the visual scanning of a painting and create a sense of starkness.
Exam tips
- Compare Williams's objective, Imagist approach with the more subjective or symbolic approaches of other Modernist poets in the anthology.
- Use the term 'ekphrasis' explicitly when discussing how the poem interacts with Bruegel's visual artwork.
- Analyse specific enjambments (e.g., breaking lines on prepositions or articles) to show how Williams manipulates rhythm and visual focus.
Try the lesson
The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Post-1900 – The Modernist Period – The Great Modern Poets, editor Michael Schmidt (Quercus, 2014): The Hunters in the Snow lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which structural feature is most characteristic of William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow'?
Listen
William Carlos Williams’s ‘The Hunters in the Snow’ is a quintessential ekphrastic poem that translates Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1565 painting into sparse, Modernist verse. Williams employs Imagist principles, stripping away subjective emotion to present a purely objective, visual experience. The poem is structured in unrhymed tercets with heavy enjambment, forcing the reader’s eye to move down the page much like a viewer scanning a canvas. By focusing on mundane, specific details—such as the broken inn sign, the women building a fire, and the exhausted dogs—Williams rejects grand, romanticised narratives. Instead, he captures the harsh, unyielding reality of winter and the quiet dignity of ordinary human survival, demonstrating the Modernist shift towards precise, unadorned language. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the use of ekphrasis and how Williams translates visual art into poetic form. Evaluate the impact of the poem's structure, specifically the use of unrhymed tercets and enjambment to control reading pace. Discuss the application of Imagist principles, noting the absence of subjective commentary and the reliance on concrete imagery. Explore the thematic focus on the mundane and the harsh realities of winter, contrasting with romanticised views of nature. A common slip: Treating the poem as a simple description of winter. Instead, Analyse it as an ekphrastic response to Bruegel's specific painting, noting how Williams selects and sequences visual details. Exam tip: Compare Williams's objective, Imagist approach with the more subjective or symbolic approaches of other Modernist poets in the anthology.
Key words
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Ekphrasis and Art
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The Mundane and Ordinary
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Man and Nature
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Objectivity and Imagism
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See every definition
- Ekphrasis and Art
- A quintessential ekphrastic poem translates a painting into sparse, Modernist verse, with Williams selecting and sequencing visual details from Bruegel's artwork.
- The Mundane and Ordinary
- A focus on mundane, specific details such as the broken inn sign, the women building a fire and the exhausted dogs, rejecting grand, romanticised narratives.
- Man and Nature
- The poem captures the harsh, unyielding reality of winter and the quiet dignity of ordinary human survival, contrasting with romanticised views of nature.
- Objectivity and Imagism
- Imagist principles strip away subjective emotion to present a purely objective, visual experience, with emotion conveyed implicitly through concrete imagery.
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