Thanks David for this:
Begging the question of whether what Wordsworth would mean by
"reality" is the same. . . what you're saying is that Wordsworth is a
person of very limited intelligence and no knowledge of the western
philosophical tradion. And Coleridge, given his high opinion of
Wordsworth, must have been a moron too. In short, I don't believe
Wordsworth was that naive.
Jeffrey, I've read your chapter in order to find out what an
empiricist poet is. It's certainly reaffirmed my dislke of the
reductionism of labels, and of polarising argument, and of the
empire-centric discussion of poetry - no poetry in English from the
West Indies or Canada or Australia or India etc where it certainly
exists as part of the conversation and often as post-colonial argument
with romanticism, modernism and post modernism and whatever follows
that. Of course you have a right to write about what you choose, but
it does reinforce your centralising thesis.
Empiricist means, I take it, any sort of attention to reality
(whatever that is) and any sort of attention to the sensuous qualities
of language and the world, and any sort of linguistic precision. And
apparently it's innately hostile to linguistic innovation. I do wonder
why you're generalising a certain conservative ascendancy in English
poetry in order to aggrandise American poetry (more argument between
empires). It does seem to take at face value the traditions laid out
in The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry, where English
poetry does seem to stop after 1945...like that anthology, it glosses
a lot of English poetry, but there are plenty of other anthologies...
And really, if defamiliarisation is a symptom of empiricism, then what
about the defamiliarisation that exists in Language poetry too - where
it's more usually derived from Shklovsky (ostranenie). Or Brecht's
usage (Verfremdungseffekt) in theatre? Are they too Wordsworthian
empiricists?
I guess in order to find out what you mean by linguistic innovation,
which presumably pays no attention to reality (whatever that is) I'd
have to read the rest of your book. No time, like most here.
xA
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Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
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