[New-Poetry] Aesthetic Diversity in Poetry Today

[Skip Fox]

Christian Bok famously says, "Newness is value" as though its also a central
condition. He says this has been true since the early 20th century
modernists.

 

I wonder. 

 

I believe it has value, but not only is newness not sufficient, it's not
necessary to value, at least not in the way Bok and the the movements in
contemporary culture seem to maintain. I'm not an "old wine in new bottles"
sort ("We write the same poem over and over"), but there are essentials that
we can deeply respond to regardless of the guise or the fashion of the
moment. (The fashion of the moment, by they way, is called by other moments
a "period style.")

 

Skip

 

"Grace / to be born and live as variously as possible."

--Frank O'Hara

 

-----Original Message-----
From: new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu
[mailto:new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu] On Behalf Of jforjames at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:54 PM
To: new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Aesthetic Diversity in Poetry Today

 

But has the buzz died down to a dull hum now that New Formalism is over 20
years old?

And are there novitiates in great numbers?  

 

The other effect I observe is the doppler of "What's dat?" 

Things are over, have come & gone, before one is even half-aware of them. 

One picks up the dying sound of their doppler as they are passing into
history.

Finnegan

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Rsgwynn1 at cs.com
To: new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
Sent: Wed, Sep 5 12:57 PM
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Aesthetic Diversity in Poetry Today

In a message dated 9/5/2007 11:19:30 AM Central Daylight Time,
jforjames at aol.com writes: 



In this arena for aesthetic diversity, I notice that New Formalism seems to
be unrepresented in this forum. Is that movement 'So over' already? Unless
one counts rhymester Kay Ryan? But I don't really think of her as strongly
formal. Though I know
she's been championed by Dana Gioia among others with formal leanings.


We are still here, and we won't go away.

Sam 

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