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/
>
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