Dear Marcus,
I feel a versified joke is in a different category from other types of
poem, because the whole poem is about reaching the punchline. It's basically
one-dimensional, and depends on the punchline -no levels of interpretation,
or added resonance etc. So I feel the punchline should be original because
the poem depends on it so much. Otherwise, for me, it's like repeating
someone else's witticism and claiming it's your own wit.
As Oscar Wilde said 'I wish I'd said that', and as Whistler replied 'You
will, Oscar, you will'....
I stress this is simply my opinion about the genre, but it's the only one
I've got.
Kind regards,
grasshopper
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marcus Bales" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 3:07 PM
Subject: Re: [THE-WORKS] A Gallon of Gas
> On 10 Apr 2004 at 12:36, grasshopper wrote:
> > ... I feel that if a joke is turned into a poem it should be the
> > author's joke. ...<
>
> This is undistinguishable from the notion that a poem has to be
> "honest originality"; so I ask, again, that you give me an example of
> "honest originality".
>
> Marcus
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