The Idea of Communication in Frank O’Hara’s Poetics of Personism

Abstract

Frank O’Hara’s “Personism: A Manifesto” is central to understand his poetics. This study aims to direct academic attention to the interpretation of this essay, uncovering the idea of communication as the backbone of his poetics and revealing O’Hara’s democratic thought behind his seemingly individualistic writing to address his social significance. In the light of relevant notions from open art and intersubjective philosophy, the study makes a detailed analysis of the essay and also draws to his poems and other articulations as further references. It is demonstrated that by sincerely documenting personal “happenings”, O’Hara aspires to achieve person-to-person interaction through bilateral communicative rationality and thus his poetry functions as micro-public spheres. His Personism offers not only poetic ethics but also life philosophy, advocating egalitarian dialogues while preserving authenticity of individual experience against the manipulation of systems.