Mark Weiss wrote:
> A community of two, at least--writer and reader. Not to speak of all the
> intermediaries. A no-brainer. The poem is en commun. And dialogue, at least
> for the reader. He reads and has his response. The dialogue is more
> metaphor in most cases for the poet. If you are the reader shouldn't the
> poem be sufficient answer?
...and, if you happen to be reading the work of a deceased poet, itHAS to be.
Coleridge didn't get around to completing his questionnaire,
and it's too late to remind him. Just as well, really.
When the poets are available for questioning, though, it is very
tempting to try to get answers from them. I once managed to have a
talk with a certain poet whose work I was studying at the time, but I wish
I hadn't. Far from being helpful, it turned out to be the most off-putting
experience possible. (He is now dead, so it would probably be safe
to approach him.)
I'm sure that jk is interviewing only "nice" poets, though! So good luck
with the questionnaire and I hope you get some interesting answers.
Kari
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