Print

Print


Linking back cris's questions to Fred Beake: I am interested in W.C.
Williams' prose poem "Kora in Hell" which as I'm sure you know was written
as an improvisational poem (1920) also as a response to Eliot and Pound's
perceived pash on European literary models. I have a (researched) idea
that some of its typographic/rhythmic elements were taken from a
particular group of modern dancers who both performed to and notated their
dance as, poetry. "Kora in Hell" got some scathing reviews at the time,
which may be the reason it's never been in the Collected. Could you tell
us a little more about the background of this current debate on "Kora in
Hell" and how it related to your idea of rhythm? I should add how much I
liked Ernest Slymans' poem "Two Mad Aunts" which reminded me of, in this
context, Elsa von Loringhoven, who features as star dada dowager aunt act
in "Kora in Hell". This idea of rhythm giving "body" to the poem is
interesting too, a bit like Kristeva's "chora" maybe? 

I want leave aside making a Kestonian fuss about your parameters of
general rhythmic history (Keston has still not given us his promised
particular reading of H W W R, so one should really point out that his
attack on your generalisations is not backed up by his own shown
devotion to the particular), rather, what do you think of cris and Ric's
recent posts in the light of "Kora in Hell"?


Karlien



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%