The new approach to poetry that emerged between 1900 and 1920 sought to put aside the sentimentality and strict obedience to established forms that had characterized the Victorian poets of preceding decades.Many poets in both the United States and Europe had begun to experiment with free verse – poetry that does not adhere to set standards of rhyme or rhythm – and several magazines were founded in order to publish this “new poetry.” It was not until 1912, however, that the first real school of new poetry emerged from the chaos of experimentation.

With only a handful of adherents, but access to the editorial department of a key American literary magazine, Ezra Pound created and sustained Imagism by mere declaration. Pound, an American poet living in London, had at first open lines of communication with a small group of English poets who combined deep appreciation for Japanese verse forms, such as haiku, with experiments in free verse.

Although Pound was briefly aligned with this group, he soon found greater artistic affinity with Richard Aldington, a fledgling English poet, and Hilda Doolittle, who signed her poems “H.D.” One of H.D.’s first poems, “Hermes of the Ways,” so delighted Pound with its crystal clear images and lack of ornamentation that he assigned her the penname “H.D., Imagist” and sent the poem immediately to the U.S. for publication in the magazine Poetry, for which he was serving as foreign editor.

In a later issue of Poetry, Pound articulated the guiding principles of Imagism, stressing that poets should treat objects directly, use no words that do not contribute to the presentation, and write according to the rhythm of the words rather than an accepted poetic form. In addition to his work with literary periodicals, Pound also edited an anthology of Imagist poems in 1914. Ironically, however, his insistence that no explanation of the Imagist movement be offered in the anthology backfired; readers did not understand that Pound and his Imagists were experimenting with a new form of poetry, and many of the anthologies were returned to the publisher.

Which of the following, if added to the end of the last paragraph, forms the best conclusion to the passage?

1. Because of this misunderstanding, Imagism failed to gain the recognition as a valid literary movement that it needed to survive.
2. Despite this setback, however, Pound’s articulation of the principles of Imagism had succeeded in presenting a viable alternative to traditional forms, and modern poetry set off in a new direction.
3. Angered by this rejection, Pound adjusted his ambitions for Imagism and began encouraging fellow poets to write according to the rhythm of words, rather than accepted forms.
4. On the other hand, even though most of the public did not understand the goals of Imagism, Pound’s anthology sold several thousand copies.
5. Additionally, several readers wrote letters to the editors of the magazine criticizing Pound and the Imagists for slavishly imitating traditional poetic forms.