How e.e. cummings Predicted LiveJournal

Avant-garde poet extraordinaire, e.e. cummings is known for pushing his verse to the very edge of literary convention, causing the critics of his time to scratch their heads at each new collection the writer published. But the little idiosyncrasies in cummings’ work that were just plain bizarre to early 20th century readers have gone over big with millennials for their eery similarity to Web 1.0 mainstays. If you haven’t yet purged your old LiveJournal from 2002, read through your archives and then take a look at cummings’ poems. They’re more similar than you think. (Of course, 18-year-old you was already convinced of your literary prowess)

1. “r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r” (1935)

Check out this selection from one of cummings’ most famous works:

Just like you in that ’03 LiveJournal post re-capping everything shitty about your summer job, e.e. cummings was tYpInG lIkE tHiS as early as 1931. Still unknown, however, is whether or not he designed his own Dollz icons or how he would’ve answered the ever-important “A/S/L?”

2. “the boys i mean are not refined” (c. 1935)

This lesser-known poem by cummings (it wasn’t widely circulated in order to dodge the censors) is a bit like when you penned those angry, free-verse takedowns of the “posers” in your friend group, a lá Eminem.

cummings could rage against the machine alongside the best of ‘em, using poetry to revel in his wild nights of drinking and fooling around. The Oxford English Dictionary recognizes cummings as the first person to publish the phrase “Fuck it!,” as well as use “party” as a verb.

3. “may i feel said he” (1923)

You know that August ’03 LiveJournal entry in which you recount your first hook-up and the major ramifications it had for your psyche (also, algebra homework)? cummings wrote one too and predominantly used his writing to reflect on sexual encounters, romantic crushes and other feels in general.