I’ve now read it. It seems a well-written analysis of the books by
Johnson it examines.
It also includes observations about the concept of authorship as still
prevailing in avant-garde writing, despite assumptions to the contrary.
It also looks at the increasing celebrity-centred nature of the
contemporary avant-garde; and how there seems to be an environment
in place that encourages its practitioners to avoid being constructively
critical of each others work—preferring, instead, mutual self-regard and
flattery.
Of course, the essay is only talking about the US avant-garde. I
mention this in case it is thought that I am presuming that its author is
making a general observation regarding the avant-garde internationally.
On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:16:36 +0000, Jeffrey Side
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>I've just started reading it. So far (about 6 pages in), this is a
gripping
>essay. I'm sure many of its issues will need to be discussed.
>
>
>
>On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 18:08:38 -0500, Geoffrey Gatza
><[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>The new print issue of Pleiades journal features an extensive essay-
>review
>>(thirty-four pages!) by the superb critic Michael Theune,
>titled "Impolitic:
>>Kent Johnson's Radical Hybridity." It covers five of Johnson's books,
>>including Epigramititis: 118 Living American Poets, published by
>BlazeVOX
>>Books in 2005. Pleiades has put up a PDF of the essay at its
website,
>here:
>>http://www.ucmo.edu/englphil/pleiades/currentissue.html
>>
>>Epigramititis can be ordered here:
>>http://www.blazevox.org/bk-kj.htm
>>
>>And Johnson's most recent book, the 836-page DAY (also from
>BlazeVOX) here:
>>http://blazevox.org/blog/?p=118
>>
>>
>>Best, Geoffrey
>>
>>Geoffrey Gatza
>>Editor, BlazeVOX Books
>>
>>New Catalog for BlazeVOX [books]
>>Our best catalog yet!
>>185 titles; 7 sections
>>Easy to use, easy to order,
>>http://www.blazevox.org/catalog.htm
>>
>>Hurray!
>>
>>
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