From: david wheatley <[log in to unmask]>
> Take your time, David. Take all the time you want. But
> can you, eventually, undertake to produce even one
> example?
I'd second this, Dave. It's your statement, not anything Paulin said,
that's current in this forum. We can't ask Paulin to refine or discuss
his judgments, as we can you.
Poems by Larkin aren't, surely, so very difficult to come across;
though not a fan myself, I'm sure I could come up with a fair
bundle of them this afternoon, and if the 'blunder' you ascribe to
him is so thoroughly disabling, it shouldn't be hard to illustrate.
The matter of principle isn't insignificant either, though, I'd
suggest. There's no rule here says listees have to take the
slightest interest in Larkin, though there is the presumption of a
care for other sorts of writing. But if you wade in with such a
specific, strongly stated, and apparently authoritative
condemnation of any poet, don't you think there's a moral onus on
you to support it? We don't want to give the impression that critical
judgements are more carelessly tossed around in the world of
'experimental' writing, do we? Or to make it seem that
bad-tempered begrudgery is a primary tone of this list . . .
So, eagerly anticipating your response,
Trevor
|