First, we need to look at the Symbolist and Imagism movements in poetry. What are they, and how are they different from earlier poetic movements?
Symbolist poetry began in France as a response to the majority of poetry that was being produced at the time. During this period, poetry was often focused on nature, and it was understood that poetry was meant to represent reality. However, Symbolist poets believed that poetry could go deeper than surface realism. As the name might suggest, this kind of poetry was open to more symbols, was generally more sentimental, and played on the senses.
Imagism appeared a century after the Symbolist movement. This form of poetry moved away from meter and rhyme into language that matched everyday speech; Imagist poetry focused more on images in order to convey abstract ideas.
Hulme was a leader among the Imagist poets, perhaps even more instrumental than Ezra Pound (who is often credited with begetting Imagism) in establishing the form of the movement. Hulme was influenced by many French writers and philosophers, and the Symbolist movement paved the way for his fascination with the idea of "image" in poetry.
We can see this reflected in his poem "Autumn." The poem is centered around the image of an autumn night. There is a specific setting, moment, and landscape that Hulme captures in the poem. The poem is also sentimental and full of metaphor; he is exploring different ways to create image in a poem--something that Imagist poets were known for.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/imagism
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/symbolist-movement
Imagist poetry is rather distinct from Symbolist poetry. The former developed in England and the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century as an alternative to Romantic and Victorian-era poetry. The latter developed in France and was a reaction against Naturalism and Realism. Symbolism relied on the imagination and dreams. Arthur Rimbaud believed that great poetry required a "derangement" of the senses. On the other hand, Imagists relied on precision, simplicity, and clarity of expression.
T.E. Hulme, whose ideas about poetry gave birth to Imagism, insisted that verse include "no excess verbiage." For him and other Imagists, such as Ezra Pound and H.D. (Hilda Doolittle), words had to produce concrete images.
In his poem "Autumn," this commitment to the concrete is on display. In the first line, Hulme announces the season as "[a] touch of cold." The image is tactile and familiar. The autumn moon—a harvest moon—is "ruddy" and "[leans] over a hedge / Like a red-faced farmer." This image personifies the moon and likens a celestial being to things and people that are very familiar and equally connected to nature: hedges and farmers.
The stars, which, on an autumn night, tend to shine brightly, are described as "wistful." Stars are ancient, which is why Hulme connects them to a feeling of longing for things past. From their distance in space, they are small, white, and plentiful, like the "white faces" of "town children."
With its emphasis on the concrete, Imagism relies on references to things and people that are very familiar and accessible. Conversely, Romantic and Victorian poetry often made references to classical literature or myth.
https://poets.org/text/brief-guide-imagism
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/symbolist-movement
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44431/autumn-56d22384ccb48
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