Hi Joe
I'm not sure you've understood me at all. I entered this conversation by
pointing out that the "lyric I" can be much more complex than merely the
singular reflection of a self expression, and that it has been redefined by
many interesting women writers in ways that deeply question the singularity
of a given self. So in arguing against sincerity in art, I'm hardly chucking
out the "I". Sincerity can be just as appalling in the third person, as in
bad left wing plays that tell you all about everything you already know
(sincerely, of course) in order to flatter you into thinking you're a good
person for believing that the right things are wrong.
Nor do I think that Robert Creeley or Frank O'Hara or Alice Notley are
"sincere" poets. Not in the least. O'Hara's joke about Personism surely
suggests something a little obliquely ironic there in relation to the self.
But if I continue, I'll just be repeating what I've already said. I'm with
Kaspar; the true being most feigning is I think a quote from Hamlet, and
even if something called "Mastering the Language of Literature" sounds a
little dubious, Shakespeare is probably a respectable guide in these
matters. And thanks Stephen for the little bit of Rimbaud, which is where a
lot of this stuff begins.
Candice, I like your comment about tactics. Some are more honest, or at
least less self-deceiving and crassly manipulative, than others, which is I
guess really my point.
All best
A
--
Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
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