Hi Candice,
I would have to admit that my irritation is more a matter of
temperament more than any tuned critical analysis . . . I mean
although I find myself glazing over when reading 'Yarrow', I can
see there are interesting things afoot with this binary / triurinary
(is that a word?? . . . looks rather suspicious . . .) tack. It's just
that this tack strikes me as a tick, or a compulsive creative
disorder -- it's as though he can never pick just one word but
has to scour for possible variants. It doesn't appear to be a
matter of 'balance' either, or an attempt at completion -- just
an option. I just don't find these options interesting, somehow,
within the context of the poems. I guess for the same reason
I can't stomach improvisational jazz (and therefore, perhaps,
Ashbery) . . . . what was it Blake said about figure-drawing?
The power of the line, the boundary . . ? I guess I respond more
to luminescence within limits, as opposed to divergencies,
accumulations, and the mania for variations.
Binaries, trinities -- the limits of religion I suppose. They usually
create a current, though, a dynamism, which I can see from your
description of Muldoon re: the family. I can't quite see the
dynamic in 'stew or soup' though . . . this looks like a different
kettle of fish. More like a dissipation of energy, in fact . . . a case
of too many cooks spoiling the broth . . . .
I'm enjoying your notes on Muldoon a great deal -- certainly
presenting possibilities on how to approach his work . . . and
making Holy Thursday a lot more interesting than it seemed
initially . . . .
Finally, borrowed chair -- having worked as a barman for 4 years,
this makes sense. The chairs are for the customers, not the staff!
Relationships alter dramatically once you step out of your role --
you regain your privacy, and autonomy, even when sitting down
to grab a quick bite to eat mid-shift.
Roles and relationships -- relevant to the couple in the poem also.
The waiter who is no longer a waiter, but himself. The lovers who
are no longer lovers, but themselves once more. Something like
that.
Andy
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