on Fri, 9 Mar 2001 08:00:35 +1100
[log in to unmask] wrote:
>> I have a feeling that the justification for writing poetry in a
>> "free" society might be exactly the same as in an unfree one, only
>> exposing others of its millions of facets. (What is "effective
>> poetry"? btw) The question surely remains the same: "& is he honest
>> who resists his genius or conscience. only for the sake of present
>> ease or gratification?"
surely censorship only makes sense [to those who use it] when poetry is
perceived as doing that which is forbidden - i.e. being "effective"?
i sometimes feel our self-censorship is what makes our poetry acceptable
- we write towards a certain consensus in order to be considered poets
in a certain place. it may be that in so doing we lumber ourselves with
notions which cramp our poetry and force us, in effect, to become ever
more distant from the experience which moves us.
is there really so little to say about the world that we need not think
about being "effective"? can we really only be "effective" by "resisting
[our] genius or conscience"?
is it not that consensus demands from poetry that it conform to certain
"standards"? for instance, we may feel that poetry has to be of a
certain complexity [neither under- nor over-acheiving significantly], or
that it has to have a certain kind of symmetry or elegance.
we may even insist that poetry have a certain tone [like that superior
tone favoured by certain critics, maybe]. we may even insist that poetry
avoid confronting certain "sensibilities", in order to be acceptable. we
may even wake up one day to find ourselves writing poetry which is
utterly irrelevant to anyone - even ourselves.
>> (What is "effective poetry"? btw)
to me, answering this question is the purpose of our discussions in this
space, to a large extent.
regards, steve
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