alison,
there's maybe more in that impulse to give poems away than you allow.
What do you get in return? There's an interesting 'literature' on gift
exchange as opposed to monetary exchange, as an alternative market,
stretching from Mauss to Levi-Strauss, Bataille, Bourdieu and others. The
language of gifting hangs around the arts, artist's are 'gifted' people it
is said. Isn't a 'grants' a gift? Or at least shouldn't the rhetoric of,
the protocols attached to the grant be strengthened in the name of the gift?
(a handout is not a gift?) Are research grants gifts?
the problem with the bums on seats measure is that it makes no
distinction between art and entertainment. The distinction that might more
effectively be blurred is that between art and research.
Wystan
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, 17 February 2001 11:20 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: space fat/some quick, loose thoughts
Peter wrote:
>But, Alison, doesn't your tendency reinforce the popular impression that
>poetry isn't worth anything? I suspect that one of the reasons people
>expect poems to be cheap or free is that poets are inclined to provide
>them cheaply or freely.
I knew someone would say that...
I don't feel I've expressed myself terribly well on all this, no doubt
because it's a dilemma I'm living. I've been thinking a lot about money
lately, as a result of not having any or enough. It is impossible for me
to separate these contemplations from poetry, despite my best intentions,
since one leads to the other. My friends who are not artists have
houses, cars, jobs, some modicum of security... I just have a lot of
books (and children and cats). When I am sensible of the privilege of
being able to "follow my bliss", I feel fine about this; but as we all
know, writing is a capricious exercise, and in my weaker moments it is
difficult to focus on that. I try not to whinge, honest.
But you could say perhaps that the assertion of _freedom_ implied in my
impulses to give poems away, rather than sell them, is a case of perverse
and no doubt impotent pride: an assertion of other ways of valuing. If
others value a gesture like that differently, it's their problem, not
mine. I can't say it's a conscious impulse, it's much messier than that.
I don't feel the same way about other forms of writing.
Best
Alison
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