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And I certainly must be grateful for having been pushed back in the direction of Blake's Milton, some tremendous stuff in that. I do suspect tho' that Mr Blake might not have approved of Mr Heaney: "Who pretend to Poetry that they may destroy Imagination By imitation of Nature's Images drawn from Remembrance." http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/object.xq?objectid=milton.a.illbk.43&java=no On 30 June 2012 23:19, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Third look: > > I see the unfortunate servants still have not been corrected to serpents. > The relevant passage from Paradise Lost is below, in case it's too much > trouble to check. I would have thought an article that derives its > righteousness from defending the oppressed might be more considerate to the > reputation of one of the most oppressed classes of all, the gone and > forsaken generations of skivvies. Some people even went into the workhouse > rather than be servants. > > I like the Vorticist-free invocations of the Vortex though. Meanwhile, > back at Satan's demise: > > So having said, a while he stood, expecting > Thir universal shout and high applause [ 505 ] > To fill his eare, when contrary he hears > On all sides, from innumerable tongues > A dismal universal hiss, the sound > Of public scorn; he wonderd, but not long > Had leasure, wondring at himself now more; [ 510 ] > His Visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare, > His Armes clung to his Ribs, his Leggs entwining > Each other, till supplanted<http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Emilton/reading_room/pl/book_10/notes.shtml#supplant>down he fell > A monstrous Serpent<http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Emilton/reading_room/pl/book_10/notes.shtml#line533>on his Belly prone, > Reluctant, but in vaine: a greater power [ 515 ] > Now rul'd him, punisht in the shape he sin'd, > According to his doom: he would have spoke, > But hiss for hiss returnd with forked tongue > To forked tongue, for now were all transform'd > Alike, to Serpents all as accessories [ 520 ] > To his bold Riot: dreadful was the din > Of hissing through the Hall, thick swarming now > With complicated<http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Emilton/reading_room/pl/book_10/notes.shtml#complicated>monsters head and > taile, > > > On 30 June 2012 14:53, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Other than that I must re-read Prometheus Unbound and the Blake prophetic >> books - the latter I only skimmed through in my twenties as I'm afraid I >> found them rather turgid but I've become inured to a lot worse since then. >> While as someone who is neither upper-nor-middle-class, one of those people >> who are the formerly working class, while yet someone with a tenuous >> association with poetry, I tend to feel rather uncomfortable when >> assertions are made about what 'we' do or do not read, as Ben Watson does. >> I certainly incline to the left, although like most of my benighted class >> I have a certain traditionalist streak, but where literature is concerned I >> can feel as uneasy with professional lefties as with those from the >> opposing trenches. >> >> >> >> On 30 June 2012 14:22, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]>wrote: >> >>> Somebody needs to proof-read the transcript again: >>> >>> "When in the tenth book of *Paradise Lost* Satan and the rest of >>> Pandemonium’s citizenry are transformed into servants that transformation >>> is registered primarily by the loss of language, communication and thought," >>> >>> I know the poor old skivvies weren't always the brightest but that's >>> going a bit far. >>> >>> On 30 June 2012 12:50, Tim Allen <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >>> >>>> Wow - some of you might find the following interesting. Also make sure >>>> you follow up the reply. >>>> >>>> http://www.unkant.com/2012/06/**sean-bonney-critique-of-ben-** >>>> watsons.html<http://www.unkant.com/2012/06/sean-bonney-critique-of-ben-watsons.html> >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> >>>> Tim A. >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> David Joseph Bircumshaw >>> ** >>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet >>> http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk >>> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html >>> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/david.bircumshaw >>> twitter: http://twitter.com/bucketshave >>> blog: http://groggydays.blogspot.com/ >>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.com >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> David Joseph Bircumshaw >> ** >> Website and A Chide's Alphabet >> http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk >> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html >> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/david.bircumshaw >> twitter: http://twitter.com/bucketshave >> blog: http://groggydays.blogspot.com/ >> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.com >> >> > > > -- > David Joseph Bircumshaw > ** > Website and A Chide's Alphabet > http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk > The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html > Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/david.bircumshaw > twitter: http://twitter.com/bucketshave > blog: http://groggydays.blogspot.com/ > Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.com > > -- David Joseph Bircumshaw ** Website and A Chide's Alphabet http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/david.bircumshaw twitter: http://twitter.com/bucketshave blog: http://groggydays.blogspot.com/ Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.com