Hi Sally, grasshopper, James, etc.,

Yeh, I'd go with the adage "show not tell" MOST of the time and for most of 
my poems. I think grasshoppers right to highlight the point that 
readers/hearers share the poem and can discover things for themselves. When 
they do that there's a way in which they have been given the poem, they 
possess it as a gift. I'm wary of restricting the poem to the things I think 
it's about (and "telling" can be "too much of me, not enough of the poem").
But I also like the comment of William Carlos Williams when he said "No 
ideas but in things" - which I take to mean that the "thing" I mention in a 
poem can carry its meaning to the reader.
But there are times when I "tell" feelings, too... when the big abstract 
nouns we need to describe how we feel as people have as much right in a poem 
as any image/picture we could give. Though I don't do it very often and I 
think I've heard the adage "show not tell" that many times I'm still wary of 
doing it.
I guess we can only break the guidelines when we know what they are (and we 
feel others know what's going on too!)
Bob


>From: grasshopper <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: "show not tell"
>Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 19:30:55 +0100
>
>Dear James,
>I totally disagree that it's a technical term like enjambment, which is 
>just
>a matter of how you present a poem on the page or screen.
>I think it's a more a matter of an author's whole attitude to writing. Like
>all 'rules', it is not set in concrete, but I think it is an excellent
>statement for a poet to consider. Of course, there are some things, like
>certain facts in a narrative that the reader has to be told, but when it
>comes to investing the same narrative with emotional overlay, the author
>should not tell the reader how to feel about it. By choice of words,
>imagery, etc , a poet should convey any emtions- without needing to STATE
>the emotions. In simplest terms, don't describe anything as scary or
>heart-wrenching for instance, your writing should convey that.
>  Why I think it's such a helpful adage is that it encourages a poet to 
>think
>about what he/she is writing about,the concrete and immediate details,
>rather than to become lost in a lot of abstract woffle about what the poet
>thinks and feels.That leaves little room for a reader's personal response.
>It's true most poems are about 'I', but at least, let's make a stab at
>submerging the poetic ego a little.
>Kind regards,
>  grasshopper
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "James Bell" <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2002 9:21 AM
>Subject: Re: "show not tell"
>
>
> > Hackneyed but a valuable statement, a technical term rather like
>enjambment
> > I'd say. I find it tends to come into play when a poet has probably said
>too
> > much. We can show what we mean through the flow of the poem. I take as
> > example my poem "Leaf" that you liked in WORM (which I thank you for and
> > found your comments wonderfully accurate). Show not tell.  We need it as 
>a
> > necessary short hand. Hope this helps.
> > bw
> > James
> >
> >








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