I feel a bit rudderless, but all I meant by the phrase "better nature" is the wish to e.g. innovate, be unfettered (I think someone used this term), or even just be sensitive to that (morals may turn out to be founded on a form of quietude).

Luke

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 12:49 PM, Tristan Moss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Before I could agree to that I'd need a clearer/more precise definition of what 'our better nature' is. Also, I'm not completely sure that 'aspires to' necessarily means 'should'.

Cheers,

Tristan

On 17 Aug 2017, at 11:08, Luke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>  Sorry to extend your metaphor.

Don't be. So anyway you agree then that, if we can't say that experimental poetry reflects out better nature, we can that it intrinsically should? That reminds me of my mortality, ha.

Cheers,
Luke
 

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 10:53 AM, Tristan Moss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I like Tim's post: it makes good sense to me.

"But doesn't experimental poetry say what poetry should be, rather than what it already is? Already then, we have the ghost of a 'better' nature"

There is the ghost of 'better' in 'experimental', but that is it. It may haunt experimental poetry, but often this haunting isn't based on anything more than an unfulfilled ambition (to be better). Sorry to extend your metaphor Luke.

Cheers,

Tristan

> On 17 Aug 2017, at 10:28, Luke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> But doesn't experimental poetry say what poetry should be, rather than what it already is? Already then, we have the ghost of a 'better' nature.