[New-Poetry] Re: Aesthetic Diversity in Poetry Today

[Halvard Johnson]

And I say, "Dull subjects is those that always agree with their verbs."

Hal

"Way down the deserted street, I thought I saw
   a bus which, with luck, might get me out of
   this sentence . . ."
                              --Rosmarie Waldrop

Halvard Johnson
================
halvard at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~halvard/index.html
http://entropyandme.blogspot.com
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http://home.earthlink.net/~halvard/vidalocabooks.html


On Sep 6, 2007, at 8:38 AM, Jeff Newberry wrote:

> Thanks, Bob.  I think that I see where you're coming from.
>
> I suppose I just bristle at the dismissive attitude some (not all)  
> critics & poets have toward the subject matter of a poem.
>
> I suppose William Matthews says it best, however:  "Dull subjects  
> are those we have failed."
>
> Best,
> Jeff Newberry
>
>
> On 9/6/07, Bob Grumman <bobgrumman at nut-n-but.net> wrote:
>
>
> Jeff Newberry wrote:
> > Why is subject matter a "triviality?"
>
>
> Subject matter is not a triviality.  A change of subject matter is,
> however, for it not make a poem significantly different from other  
> that
> are like it in all other ways.  That's because every original poem is
> slightly different from every other original poem in subject  
> matter.  I
> concede that I'm exaggerating somewhat.  There can be innovatively
> significant changes of subject.  When poems started being used to  
> treat
> tractors and other "unlofty" subjects, they were significately
> innovative.  But change in technique is really about the only way one
> can be significantly innovative in poetry, it seems to me.
>
> --Bob G.
>
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> recollects, longer than knowing even wonders."
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>
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