>>Feminism in the 1970s is another interesting example, Ian. I would
>attribute a great deal of formal inventiveness to feminist poetry at this
>time, as forms such as epic and lyric were very consciously bent and broken
>to accommodate new subjects,
>e.g., the very new subject of human childbirth.
>
Fully in agreement - i said 'some' feminist poetry very specifically. I
suppose I had poems such as Liz Locheads Mirrors song in mind here, which
was radical in content but conservative in form. And Gillian Clarke in
Letter ... and in nationlaism RS Thomas' Welsh nationalism etc etc From a
class perspective attila the stockbroker is similar. These were being
written or perfromed at the same time as a more self conscious post/late
modernist US language poetry and uk related post revival /innovative poetry.
I don't think the histories of modernism/postmodernism even within national
boundaries are linear but more often coincident and overlapping. but I
think, mairead, we have a disagreement about history which i remember form a
previous ocnversation on this list.
On a similar topic but going sideways I've just received Anne Waldman's
Iovis 1 and 2 through the post from the states (god bless global capitalism
for bringing me these books at al udicrously low prices) and at first glance
it seems an astonishing work as self consciously feminine epic which writes
out of the tradition of the male long poem (Olson, Williams etc). I know
Notley has written about it but that was the first i heard of it few months
back.
more summer reading.
love to all
ian
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