[New-Poetry] Re: Gilbert

[Suzanne Burns]

Speaking of deploying a 'sentence fragment' in a poem, has anyone noticed
that an annoying amount of contemporary poetry is written toward complying
with
grammatical rules?

I have noticed this, and I am not certain if it is due to teaching
composition so much as the influence of teachers who are big on narrative
clarity-- I studied with Stephen Dobyns and Mary Karr at Syracuse
University, and Paul Muldoon at UMass, and all had very strong feelings
about this subject. "A poem should be at least as well-written as prose."


Likely I'm imagining this, but a caviling about the use of a sentence
fragment in a poem, by a poet I otherwise respect, prompted me to pose this
question.

Personally I really like bending grammar and playing with syntax in poetry
to achieve a certain effect, and I think Jack's use of the fragment works
mostly well in his poetry (though I think sometimes it is overdone and comes
across as Booming Bardic).  I wasn't being a grammar snob when I brought
this up.

The only problem I have is that (to my ears, anyway) is that it is a device
that is absolutely hallmark Jack Gilbert-- especially when it is used in a
short pared down poem, and especially if it is overused. It is a huge part
of the sound of his poetry. So much so, that I flinch when I hear the same
patterns say, in Linda Gregg's poetry.

I'm not kidding Jim-- I actually deliberately started writing poems rich in
complex compound sentences with very long lines just to shake out some of
the Jack sounds I absorbed during that time I worked with him.  I'm not
saying this was a bad thing-- it was comical really. I was glad I became
aware of it, though it took Mary Karr calling me the "frag queen" to alert
me to this pattern.

This of course could be just me.  I notice for example that Gerald Stern is
also rather fond of the sentence fragment, but his exclamatory voice and
approach to narrative is so much his own it doesn't have that same effect on
me.

Suzanne Burns
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