[New-Poetry] Alexander's text

[Skip Fox]

But Ashbery is accessibly so. You can talk about lack of determinacy and
confusions while noting so much in terms of shifting scenes, tones,
ambiguities squared, and then show them “Instruction Manual” (and have them
point out the clichéd travelogue . . . because someone always does if you
start reading from it), and then his Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem would have the
students howling, esp. noting the fact he put it in his Selected. (And then
you can talk about jokes on terrible poetry and you’re back to Twain and E.
Grangerford.)

 

Steven’s “Sunday Morning” would be great as well. Some Jeffers because of
his beauty and the fact everyone likes to see someone darker than themselves
at their worst.

 

I’d do some Pound. Even parts of the Cantos.

 

Yesterday an entire class of undergrads (all Eng. majors, but some told me
previously of high anxiety approaching poetry, let alone difficult poetry)
all seemed not just to understand but really dig Mina Loy’s “Parturition.”
A really great 40 mins. all round.

 

Bernadette Mayer, even. From Midwinter’s Day maybe.

 

But then I remember the line, “It’s easy to be a Romantic. Especially if you
don’t mind the evidence.”

 

-----Original Message-----
From: new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu
[mailto:new-poetry-bounces at wiz.cath.vt.edu] On Behalf Of Judy Prince
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 11:30 AM
To: NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &amp,Views
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Alexander's text

 

YES!  [Except that most of Ashbery's works are Way Inaccessible, I find]

 

Judy

2009/1/22 Skip Fox <skip at louisiana.edu>

Bob,

 

Of course I'd drag them in deeper. Into Dickinson and Eliot, Williams and
H.D., Stevens and Ashbery even. Hell, I'd be chanting Hopkins on occasion. 

 

And we'd see that they weren't so inaccessible and much, much more.

 

Of course.

 

Skip

 

 

 

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