Jamie, from what you say, it looks like I did misconstrue your initial comments. I appreciate, though, that you recognise that there was some logical reasoning behind my misconstruing. I wouldn’t have been so persistent if I was just arguing with you for the sake of it—which is how it must have felt to you.
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Jamie McKendrick wrote:
David, well done. Everything in this post seems a reasonable explanation of what went awry in the exchange and would suggest a simple way forward.
I believe you’ve misconstrued my original comment, which was merely saying that Olson is - to the best of my knowledge - known as a poet not as an academic, and that his influence extends, for good or ill, way beyond academia. The qualification I added was only to register my (continuing) uncertainty as to whether he taught literature or writing, not to suggest any contrast between the academic status of either course. As I’ve tried from the start to explain in response to you, they are different (obviously) and serve different - not superior or inferior - ends.
As it happens I continue to teach creative writing, very part time, on a postgraduate course, which is why I was astonished you should think I was trying to be dismissive about it as an area of study. (I’ve tried to be clear about the reservations I have.)
I now better understand what you initially found ironic but still remain unpersuaded there is any use in the category of ‘academic poetry’.
Thanks, anyway, for this attempt to clarify things.
Jamie
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