[New-Poetry] Ashes, ashes, we all fall down

[Chris Stroffolino]

thanks for the quiz


Where's "All Of The Above" as a question choice?

the mention of "supreme fiction" makes me want to say Harold Bloom  
(but I don't see him necessarily saying 'old is a real bitch')

Chris


On Apr 15, 2008, at 6:15 PM, David Graham wrote:

> As part of National Too Much Poetry Month, NewPo is pleased to  
> offer its first Ashbery quiz.
>
> Ready?
>
> Here's a poem from Mr. Ashbery's most recent book:
>
> The Inchcape Rock
>
> Prop up the "meaning,"
> take the trash out, the dog for a walk,
> give the old balls a scratch, apologize for three things
> by Friday--oh quiet noumenon
> of my soul, this is it, right?
> You lost the key and the answer is inside
> somewhere, and where are you going to breathe?
> The box is shut that knew you
> and all your friends,
> voices that could have spoken in your behalf ...
>
> Why, what did you want me to do with them?
> Half a document is sufficient to this
> weather, wild time, excrescence, more.
> Rumors sift across a bald apologia.
> The feet are here.
>
> --John Ashbery. A Worldly Country.  HarperCollins, 2007.
> _______________________
>
> Which of the following descriptions best captures the above poem's  
> theme?
>
> A) A poem must not mean but be.
>
> B) The poet imagines himself dying, and then dead, enclosed in a  
> coffin from which his spirit has departed.
>
> C)  Life is a ravishing disappointment, most of the time, but oh well.
>
> D)  Getting old is a real bitch, but the supreme fiction never dies.
>
> E)  Even our closest friendships are riddled with rumors, missed  
> connections, and contradictory memories.
>
>
> Extra credit:
>
> One of the above descriptions was actually written by a prominent  
> critic.  Identify which one, and for extra-extra credit, name the  
> critic.
> ========================================
> David Graham
> grahamd at ripon.edu
>
> Home Page:
> http://web.mac.com/drjazz
>
> Poetry Library:
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> ==========================================
>
>
>
>
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