Here, Stevens explains the grounding for his Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction to a former classmate. This abstract work, really more like a treatise in verse, sought to develop a narrative to fill the void left by conventional religion.
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Dear Montague,
[…] NOTES TOWARD A SUPREME FICTION was written during March and April of 1942: that is to say, just a year ago. It is a collection of just what I have called it: Notes. Underlying it is the idea that, in the various predicaments of belief, it might be possible to yield, or to try to yield, ourselves to a declared fiction.
This is the same thing as saying that it might be possible for us to believe in something that we know to be untrue. Of course, we do that every day, but we don’t make the most of the fact that we do it out of the need to believe, what in your day, and mine, in Cambridge was called the will to believe.
This book has been rather carefully read by one or two extremely keen people, and they have looked for a literal text. That is something that I may get round to later.
Very sincerely yours,
Wallace Stevens
FURTHER READING
For an overview of Stevens’ idea of “Supreme Fiction,” click here
Click here for an audio file of John Irwin’s annotated reading of Stevens’ “Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction”