The earlier discussion sent me back to Robert Sheppard's _Far
Language_ - not, to be sure, for the discussion of p*s*m*d**n**m (I'm
happy enough with this word having a humptydumptyish meaning, by the
way, like many others we use daily - it's not a legal term) but to
some of RS's little credos, which enliven the reviews around them (for
me). I particularly admire "The Education of Desire" - a piece which
set out to explain to his class of A-levellers the kind of poetics he
(RS) works with. It's simplified, jargon-free and engaged in a way I
think many members of this list will recognise, and even those who
don't agree with it, or want it qualified in one way or another, will,
I suspect, respect where it's coming from.
Argued as poles apart from advertising (is advertising too easy a
swipe these days? perhaps - but it's still a _necessary_ swipe)
Sheppard's proposed poetry doesn't offer solutions, but pushes or
permits its readers into engaging with the materials it presents:
"At best, the poetry will change the reader, make him or her think in
new ways, not simply what society wants you to think.
Or even what the writer thinks.
Reading is no longer a guessing game to find out what the writer
thinks; you do the thinking."
For me this links directly into the earlier discussion about the role
of performance, particularly of performances which open possibilities
for audiences, rather than simply serving as delivery vehicles for
texts: "you do the thinking".
This isn't, of course, a new proposal, nor is it put forward as such.
It's a roll-up of practices which have been going on for years. It's a
good text, however, to read on National Poetry Day, when so much of
the emphasis is on passive access poetry and practices which - to me -
seem dangerously close to advertising, somebody trying to sell me
their product. Thanks, Rob.
RC
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