[New-Poetry] Taking Kooser's measure

[Anny Ballardini]

I think innovation is all right, but to it I would add quality. Innovation 
is not enough to be qualified as a major. I also value that Pound is a 
major, because of his innovation and quality.

From: "steve moore" <fssam6 at uaf.edu>
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 7:51 AM


> I've always understood the distinction between major and minor as a 
> matter of innovation. Those poets that are leaders of movements, that 
> push beyond the tradition, are major. Those that work from within  current 
> ideas about poetry and from the tradition are minor. The  distinction has 
> nothing to do with quality. Thus, Pound is a major  poet, while Thomas is 
> minor. Even though clearly Thomas is the better  poet (I say with a 
> certain smugness).
>
>> Re Berryman and Dream Songs:
>>
>>> Well if you just look at the incidence of level accent in them,  it's, 
>>> erm,
>>> obvious.
>>
>> dave --
>>
>> Could you untease "incidence of level accent" a bit?
>>
>> I think I disagree with you over Berryman, but I'm not sure in the 
>> instance
>> above exactly what I'm disagreeing with.
>>
>> (Mind you, I originally misread what you typed as "incidence of  [the] 
>> level
>> [of] accent," so I'm obviously not at my best and brightest at the 
>> moment.)
>>
>> Incidentally, if we're playing the great/major/minor game, I'd  place 
>> Berryman as a minor poet.
>>
>> Ages ago, I decided (rightly or wrongly) that the distinction  between a 
>> major and a minor poet was that with a major poet, you  could [with 
>> reservations] demonstrate to anyone that they were  worth reading.  With 
>> a minor poet, there has to be a degree of  sympathy with the writing to 
>> begin with.  Thus (in my terms) Donne  is major, Wyatt minor.
>>
>> R.
>>
>>
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