I remember this good/mad friend of mine, artist, who repeatedly stated that
to create something new you have to do 'tabula rasa' of all what you know.
Which becomes impossible if you do not have the tools. Probably a solid
education works as the construction of the tools, and as my philosophy
teacher liked to say, you tidy up and put them all into their little
drawers, and finally start working. It does not imply that I know how, I am
just quoting what seemed to me the proper way of doing it.
Anny
On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 11:48 AM, Martin Dolan <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Hi Anny
>
> I'm not looking for an argument, either - and certainly not one about
> the academy and poetry!
>
> I too have a sense of duty to my professors, who (mostly) were good at
> their job. As a result, I left my studies with an adequate (if somewhat
> dated) appreciation of the tools of literary criticism and how to use
> them. I also had my eyes opened to a range of writers I would not have
> encountered otherwise, including an obscure French-Canadian poet upon
> whom I lavished too much time in my final year.
>
> What I didn't get (perhaps the fault was with myself) was any bridge
> between the world of criticism and theory and the world of applied
> literature - such as writing poetry. I doubt any of my professors saw
> that as their role. I'm not sure that I did either.
>
> The consequence was a certain amount of literary self-consciousness and
> a limited set of poetic tools. The poetic result - when not silence -
> was unedifying. It took me a long time to get a better balance between
> the two elements. Still working on it.
>
> Regards
>
> Martin
>
> > Hi Martin,
> >
> > without any wish of arguing but out of a sense of duty towards some of
> my
> > professors (the old English teacher excluded, and I agree with you
> here), I
> > have received much from my formal studies, as a matter of fact what I
> > consider my backbone. And I am sorry I do not have time enough to go
> back to
> > the Authors that at the time were so dear to me.
> >
> > Best,
> > Anny
> >
> > On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 12:23 PM, Martin Dolan <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Hi Nathan
> >>
> >> I look forward to talking with you.
> >>
> >> I think I'm mostly self-taught, too. Is there another way? English and
> >> French literature at university hindered more than helped the writing,
> >> on mature reflection, however much it helped the understanding.
> >>
> >> Regards
> >>
> >> Martin Dolan
>
--
Anny Ballardini
http://annyballardini.blogspot.com/
http://www.fieralingue.it/modules.php?name=poetshome
http://www.moriapoetry.com/ebooks.html
I Tell You: One must still have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing
star!
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