The air of prissiness - only a faint air, a slight scent of a man among
books writing of blood - pertains to the Oresteia, not the Alcestis. Which
I haven't got around to reading either, though I might next.
Off my soapbox and off to do something in the sun, which amazingly has
decided to come out today -
Best
A
>I couldn't agree with you more about the _energy_ of the TH Oedipus, what I
>was thinking of was the air of impending imbalance in its language, the
>black is too black, too monotone, as for the thought of Ted being prissy in
>his Alcestis, my god, is nothing to be relied on (I haven't read it you
>know, he confessed)
>
>The mention of Muller, and the association of rendition of true horror, is
>most pertinent.
>
>You can get off your soapbox now (it's not the weather to be standing around
>on Hyde Park corner too long)
>
>Best
>
>Dave
>
>
>David Bircumshaw
>
>Leicester, England
>
>Home Page
>
>A Chide's Alphabet
>
>Painting Without Numbers
>
>www.paintstuff.20m.com/index.htm
>
>http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 8:46 PM
>Subject: Re: Ted Hughes' Alcestis
>
>
>> You know, I _like_ his Oedipus - I know it's completely ott, but it has
>> this energy which for me sweeps it through. The Oresteia is in fact more
>> restrained, but it has much more this air of bookishness, somehow, when
>> he's looking for barbaric splendour and horror, and it feels like he's
>> stretching his arm - and when you think of what's been done to the
>Oresteia
>> in the 20C, from Martha Graham through to Heiner Muller, it's a little bit
>> - um - prissy.
>>
>> All right, off my soapbox.
>>
>> Best
>>
>> A
>>
>> >I'm minded here too of Hughes's version of the Seneca Oedipus, which too
>I
>> >found both wordy and straining for horror, I think one of the paradoxes
>of
>> >Hughes was that he was at his best as a poet of restrained violence,
>indeed,
>> >his sometimes sensitivity, as the Full Moon that Little Frieda saw, is
>his
>> >real virtue, while the slightly Hammer House of Horrors garishness, and
>too
>> >the portentous blab, do not serve him well.
>> >
>> >Best
>> >
>> >Dave
>> >
>> >
>> >David Bircumshaw
>> >
>> >Leicester, England
>> >
>> >Home Page
>> >
>> >A Chide's Alphabet
>> >
>> >Painting Without Numbers
>> >
>> >www.paintstuff.20m.com/index.htm
>> >
>> >http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
>> >----- Original Message -----
>> >From: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]>
>> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> >Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 7:39 PM
>> >Subject: Re: Ted Hughes' Alcestis
>> >
>> >
>> >> You know, I've been looking at Hughes' translation of the Oresteia
>again -
>> >> they're attacking on the texts, but not that attacking - they're still
>> >> stuck in the original. Not that radical. And surprisingly wordy.
>> >>
>> >> And straining for horror, which at his best he doesn't do, though some
>of
>> >> the Chorus stuff is good. The best contemporary adaptation I've seen
>of
>> >> the Greeks is Caryl Churchill's Thyestis.
>> >>
>> >> Best
>> >>
>> >> A
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> >Just to say that I listened to it on the radio tonight.
>> >> >It was startingly personal from Ted.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >Douglas Clark, Bath, England mailto: [log in to unmask]
>> >> >Lynx: Poetry from Bath ..........
>> >http://www.bath.ac.uk/~exxdgdc/lynx.html
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Alison Croggon
>> >>
>> >> Home page
>> >> http://users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
>> >> Masthead
>> >> http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
>> >>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Alison Croggon
>>
>> Home page
>> http://users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
>> Masthead
>> http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
>>
Alison Croggon
Home page
http://users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
Masthead
http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
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