[New-Poetry] What is Poetry?

[David Graham]

On Jul 2, 2007, at 12:14 PM, jforjames at aol.com wrote:
> David, I'm happy to have this quote. When encountering one of those  
> gauzy poems full of abstractions
> and conventionally poetic images, I have stock line..."What this  
> poem needs is a toaster."
> Finnegan
=================

One of my favorite quotes is from Melville, who commented that  
Emerson wrote like a man who had never had a toothache.  I sometimes  
explain the difference between Emerson's and Whitman's take on  
Transcendentalism with this quotation.  Whitman includes the  
amputated limb dropping horribly in a pail; Emerson does not.

I've lost the exact reference for Melville's remark, if anyone would  
like to enlighten me.



========================================
David Graham
grahamd at ripon.edu

Home Page:
http://web.mac.com/drjazz/iWeb/Site/About%20Me.html

Poetry Library:
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