Ezra Loomis Pound (1885-1972)

Study Questions

Canto XLV

• Why does Pound say that "with usura hath no man a house of good stone"?
• In what ways does usury corrupt or prevent the practice of the arts and crafts? Why does Pound say that "usura ... rusteth the craft and the craftsman" and "slayeth the child in the womb"? Does usury have other effects that go beyond the corruption of the arts and crafts? Discriminate the different points that Pound is making against usury.
• What do you suppose Pound has in mind in writing that usury is "CONTRA NATURAM" (against nature)? (Compare to what Aristotle and Aquinas have to say about usury and nature).
• In the definition of usury in the note at the end of the canto, what is meant by "purchasing power," where do you find it, and under what social conditions does such a "thing" exist?

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