Matthew L Kroll

Purdue University, Philosophy, Academic Program Manager

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I am currently the Academic Program Manager in the Department of Philosophy at Purdue University.

I received my Ph.D. in English from Purdue University as a member of the Philosophy and Literature program. My dissertation examines myth, history, and orality in the poetics and poetry of Charles Olson.

My research interests include: 20th Century American Poetry (particularly of the postwar period); data ethics; orality as pedagogy and a way of learning; the intersections of poetry and philosophy; 20th Century French Philosophy (particularly that of Gilles Deleuze); and the oral-epic tradition.

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Dissertation by Matthew L Kroll

"muthologos has lost such ground": Myth, History and Orality in the Poetics of Charles Olson

American poet Charles Olson (1910-1970) spent the last two decades of his life composing his magn... more American poet Charles Olson (1910-1970) spent the last two decades of his life composing his magnum opus, the three-volume modern verse epic The Maximus Poems (Maximus). He began composing Maximus in 1950, the same year he published his poetics manifesto “Projective Verse.” Taken together, these two moments in Olson’s career can be read as marking the beginning of his mature poetics and poetry. However, the concepts he develops and the projective verse style he proclaims in the first half of the 1950s can already be seen emerging in his earlier publications.^ Beginning with two of his most significant publications of the late 1940s, this dissertation examines the development of three major concepts in Olson’s thinking (myth, history, and orality) during roughly the first decade of his career (1946-1956). Working in a chronological manner, I analyze the intellectual sources which informed these concepts and demonstrate how they are interrelated in Olson’s thinking. Considering Olson’s insistence that the breath of the poet should guide the composition of his or her poetic lines, I will argue that projective verse is an oral poetics in more than just a rhetorical sense. As Olson’s concept of orality is grounded in philological and historical research, projective verse operates on an archaic conception of orality—one which, importantly, does not contradict the fact that Olson published his work in text and emphasized the importance of the typewriter for properly conveying projective verse. I conclude with a reading of “Letter 23” from Maximus, which manifests the deeply intertwined nature of these three concepts in Olson’s thinking and poetry.

Blogs by Matthew L Kroll

Orienting Oneself Inside Charles Olson’s Thought: A Prospector’s Guide

A blogpost describing my research (October 2015) at the Charles Olson Research Collection, Archiv... more

Book Reviews by Matthew L Kroll

Review of Crisis and the US Avant-Garde: Poetry and Real Politics, by Ben Hickman (2015)

Appears in European Journal of American Culture, 36:3

E-Pubs by Matthew L Kroll

The Logos of Maximus: History and Storytelling in Herodotus and Charles Olson

Abstract for a presentation given at the 1st Annual Purdue Languages and Cultures Conference, Pur... more

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ISO 16363: Trustworthy Digital Repository Certification in Practice

Three perspectives from the United States are presented on the new ISO 16363 certification proces... more Three perspectives from the United States are presented on the new ISO 16363 certification process from a repository that is currently preparing to undergo an audit (Purdue University), a repository that has recently been certified as a trustworthy digital repository (Chronopolis Digital Preservation Network, University of California, San Diego), and an auditor (Center for Research Libraries). After a concise overview of the certification process, each panelist will offer insights and practical tips based on their experience and participate in a moderated discussion that includes questions and comments from the audience.