 |
 |
Oops, meant this for the list and not just for Joe's private delectation. ----- Original Message ----- From: William Herbert <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 4:07 PM Subject: Poets who eschew purposes (with a side bet on the Forward Prize) > Dear Joe, > > Fair enough. I have similar hesitancies about purposes, usually singled by > discomfort with the word 'should'. But we gotta use words, or at least > Sweeney does. Or at least Matthew Sweeney does. But my money's on Kathleen > Jamie. > > Best, > > Bill > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Joseph Duemer <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 3:24 PM > Subject: Re: Poets who eschew communication > > > > Bill, > > sorry for being overly hermetic. You do indeed explore the issue of > > communication later in your post. And in fact, I think that poems do & > even > > should communicate, but I'm very uncertain about what I see as the > > instrumentalism of the word "purpose." I guess I would say that we can't > help > > communicating when we write poems & that poets need to be aware that > language is > > held in common with others. But the usual meaning of a sentence like "the > > purpose of a poem is to communicate" carries the implication that > accessibility > > or ease of comprehension is the primary virtue. See my post on Emily > Dickinson > > for further thoughts on this. > > > > Joe > > > > William Herbert wrote: > > > > > Dear Hugh & Joe, > > > > > > Wasn't I trying to say something about this in the rest of the email or > > > indeed in the rest of that sentence? If you think not, or if your > positions > > > are different again, let's discuss that a little more than below. > > > > > > Best, > > > > > > Willtam > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: Joseph Duemer <[log in to unmask]> > > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > > Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 1:32 PM > > > Subject: Re: poets who eschew clarity > > > > > > > Joe doesn't either. > > > > > > > > Hugh Tolhurst wrote: > > > > > > > > > Really a reply to willtam Herbert, who wrote:- > > > > > > > > > > We all seem to agree that the purpose of a poem is to communicate, > > > > > > > > > > hugh doesn't. > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > > From: Roddy Lumsden <[log in to unmask]> > > > > > To: Poetryetc <[log in to unmask]> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 10:03 PM > > > > > Subject: Re: poets who eschew clarity > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Roddy invited comment on the "laziness and bad manners" of poets > who > > > > > eschew > > > > > > >clarity. I'd say it was more a fault of ego than of laziness and > bad > > > > > > >manners. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hang on a minute, before this becomes a chinese whisper - that > sounds > > > like > > > > > > it's my 'soundbite'. I was inviting comment from a specific poet, > who > > > had > > > > > > expressed this opinion. I've a lot of time for clarity, but I > like a > > > bowl > > > > > > of minestrone now and then, just as much as I like consommé. > > > > > > > > > > > > Roddy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > ________________________ > > > > Joseph Duemer > > > > School of Liberal Arts-5750 > > > > Clarkson University > > > > Potsdam NY 13699 > > > > [log in to unmask] > > > > ________________________ > > > > > > > > "Always come down from the barren heights > > > > of cleverness into the green valleys of folly." > > > > ::Wittgenstein > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > ________________________ > > Joseph Duemer > > School of Liberal Arts-5750 > > Clarkson University > > Potsdam NY 13699 > > [log in to unmask] > > ________________________ > > > > "Always come down from the barren heights > > of cleverness into the green valleys of folly." > > ::Wittgenstein > > > > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%