Friday, May 27, 2005
Fantastic set of responses from Tony. Made (if I may wax poetic) in soul. I often read stuff on various blogs which is interestingly broad-minded and incredibly parochial at the same time--and I restrain myself from commenting on it because I don't really want to interfere with someone's thought process/get involved (I mostly just like to watch people unfold), but it often sounds like this to me: "It's the Judean Peoples' Front!" "The Peoples' Front of Judea!" (sounds of scuffle and stabbing).
But there's something in the intersection of Tony's stance and what Josh wrote towards the end of his post today that describes pretty well where poetry is, as far as I can tell. I think it is different in spirit from the kind of opportunistic consumption Steve Evans wrote about in his Fence Enterprises essay (which I thought was awfully pessimistic anyway, though not all, or at all, untrue). It is different from the linear evolutions/heirarchies easy to pretend is perception. It is a way for diverse sensibilities to coexist, it is a personal approach which exceeds the 'Snapple flavor' democracy George Carlin railed against. It is a bunch of people who are, at their best, trying for the vision Colin Clout achieves towards the end of The Faerie Queene, all the muses and personages of aesthetic beauty descended to dance in celebration of his simple love, in his simple rhythm (I suppose that's pastoral, Reformation style). I forget her name, which isn't inappropriate. It is a personal vision, private, and yet all there is participates in it. It's pretty cool.
This is where I started, with Tony's post, especially the part where he credits his friends with canonical status, canon being his own. This is the 'Cloutian' (let's call it) ideal, value not imposed as a politics on other people, but enjoyed as life is enjoyed. If you can bring happiness to those you know, who cares about making history? What other history is there? What else is it to read, anyway?
I've said nothing, or at least nothing you didn't already know. Silly rant over.
But there's something in the intersection of Tony's stance and what Josh wrote towards the end of his post today that describes pretty well where poetry is, as far as I can tell. I think it is different in spirit from the kind of opportunistic consumption Steve Evans wrote about in his Fence Enterprises essay (which I thought was awfully pessimistic anyway, though not all, or at all, untrue). It is different from the linear evolutions/heirarchies easy to pretend is perception. It is a way for diverse sensibilities to coexist, it is a personal approach which exceeds the 'Snapple flavor' democracy George Carlin railed against. It is a bunch of people who are, at their best, trying for the vision Colin Clout achieves towards the end of The Faerie Queene, all the muses and personages of aesthetic beauty descended to dance in celebration of his simple love, in his simple rhythm (I suppose that's pastoral, Reformation style). I forget her name, which isn't inappropriate. It is a personal vision, private, and yet all there is participates in it. It's pretty cool.
This is where I started, with Tony's post, especially the part where he credits his friends with canonical status, canon being his own. This is the 'Cloutian' (let's call it) ideal, value not imposed as a politics on other people, but enjoyed as life is enjoyed. If you can bring happiness to those you know, who cares about making history? What other history is there? What else is it to read, anyway?
I've said nothing, or at least nothing you didn't already know. Silly rant over.
