[New-Poetry] Ashbery's accessibility (was Alexander's text)

[TheOldMole]

There's a wonderful essay that I've lost -- I think I found it on the 
web a few years ago -- on how to tell good Ashbery from bad Asbey. 
Anyone know to what I refer?

Judy Prince wrote:
> If you've written this Ashbery accessible thing in an article or a 
> book, I'll buy it, because he's not getting more accessible to me in 
> this message of yours, unfortunately for me.  I recall truly loving 3 
> lines of one of his otherwise disconnections-packed poem.  [I think he 
> said once that he creates his poems while he watches tv; this explains 
> much.]
>
> I approve your teaching enthusiasm, Skip----and wot's not to 'dig' 
> about Parturition? <g>
>
> Judy
>
> 2009/1/22 Skip Fox <skip at louisiana.edu <mailto:skip at louisiana.edu>>
>
>     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>
>     [mailto: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 <mailto: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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-- 
Tad Richards
http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
http://opusforty.blogspot.com/

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