[New-Poetry] Does Most Contemporary American Poetry Have To Be Chopped-Li...

[David Graham]

And I'll add what I always add when this chestnut gets roasted again. . . .

There's a circularity to the argument ("this poem is just chopped-up prose")
that is seldom acknowledged by the makers.  Typically it goes like this:
(a) All poetry must have X or Y.  Otherwise it's just chopped-up prose.
(b) THIS poem doesn't have X or Y.  (c) herefore it isn't a poem, it's just
chopped-up prose.  

But what about if you don't buy the original premise, which remains assumed?
Or what if things are a leeeeetle bit more complicated than defining poetry
as X or Y (meter, heightened diction, or whatever).


On 2/26/09 8:47 AM, "AlMaginnes at aol.com" <AlMaginnes at aol.com> wrote:

> Could you give some examples of what you consider "chopped line prose" instead
> of simply saying "most contemporary American poetry"? It's kind of hard to
> have a discussion about something like this without dealing with specifics .
>  
> 
> Get a jump start on your taxes. Find a tax professional in your neighborhood
> today 
> <http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=Tax+Return+Preparation+%26+Filing&nci
> d=emlcntusyelp00000004> .
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> New-Poetry mailing list
> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry

-- 


====================================================
David Graham
grahamd at ripon.edu
Home Page:
http://web.mac.com/drjazz/

Poetry Library:
http://web.mac.com/drjazz/iWeb/Site/DGPoLibrary.html
====================================================



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/pipermail/new-poetry/attachments/20090226/7001103b/attachment.html