Yea, verily, yea, Joanna - Know the tradition and extend it, that's the way.
Andrew
On 16/10/2007, Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Roger, are you saying that to write in any "earlier" form, no matter how
> adventurously we push its boundaries, is outworn tradition time? Does this
> mean that we should only write in "modern" forms? And if so, can you
> justify
> this? Come on, man, surely tradition's only a sin if it's slavish, and
> this
> discussion would seem to indicate that this particular one is certainly
> not
> that.
>
> My own gripe with the "poem of 14 lines = sonnet" school is not with those
> who know enough about the sonnet's heart and body to decide that this is
> how
> their examples will come alive best, but with those who know next to
> nothing
> and think that if you can fiddle the lines to make it come out to 14
> that's
> *all the awareness and skill it takes. Nobody would say, for instance,
> that
> Ted Berrigan's were written in virtual ignorance of the sonnet's history.
>
> joanna
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Roger Day" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:56 AM
> Subject: Re: Blinkin Sonnets!
>
>
> > or away from ... some "traditions" I want to disown.
> >
> > Studying sonnets as history, fine. Writing "sonnets" today would seem
> > to me that you declare yourself as part of a European tradition which
> > to me has run it's course and petered out ... unless you are into
> > resurrecting ghosts. And the modern sonnet is a ghost, a skeleton,
> > that serves only as a signifier these days.
> >
> > And the excuse "Just because I can" really doesn't cut it with me, and
> > seems lazy from people who spend most of their lives studying and
> > investing in form.
> >
> > I have become more receptive of greco-roman poetry (not the campy
> > translations, which, if you're not careful, can be toga-party time),
> > mainly because of their pagan traditions. Would I want to write in
> > their forms? It's a long distance between then and now; not
> > particularly keen all aspects of greek demos etc.
> >
> > Roger
> >
> > On 10/14/07, Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> Given that we write either into or against a tradition, I don't see how
> >> we
> >> can avoid taking it into account.
> >>
> >> joanna
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Roger Day" <[log in to unmask]>
> >> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 10:04 PM
> >> Subject: Re: Blinkin Sonnets!
> >>
> >>
> >> > Don't you think about the tradition you want to write into? I
> >> > certainly do, if I want to do such a thing. Maybe you consider such
> >> > thinking frivolous.
> >> >
> >> > Roger
> >> >
> >> > On 10/14/07, Jon Corelis <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> >> In one hundred years we've gone from a poetic puritanism which
> >> >> condemned anything not traditional as frivolous to a poetic
> puritanism
> >> >> which condemns anything traditional as frivolous. Like some French
> >> >> guy once said, the more different something gets, the more it's the
> >> >> same damn thing.
> >> >>
> >> >> --
> >> >> ===================================
> >> >>
> >> >> Jon Corelis www.geocities.com/joncpoetics/
> >> >>
> >> >> ===================================
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> > "In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons."
> >> > Roman Proverb
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> > "In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons."
> > Roman Proverb
>
--
Andrew
http://hispirits.blogspot.com/
http://www.inblogs.net/hispirits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aburke/
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