This reading is unlike the previous readings we have done. ‘The Art of Immemorability’ is something I would expect to find in a journal of academic standing. It is different from the others readings we have done in that it is entirely in prose, there isn’t a single poem to be had. The reading was highly informative and lucid, explaining the myriad connections between poetry, the written word, Greek plays, the alphabet, and the march of progress. This reading shared a lot in common with previous writings as well. I assumed the paper would be purely informative after several pages but in the parting words a message revealed itself. The reading states that poetry has moved away from what it once was and that now poetry needs to move forward in physicality, temporality, and dynamism.
I found this reading easy, despite the many new terms I had to look up. I felt as though the author really tries to make the article engaging and interesting. I liked how the statements and ideas offered by the author had tons of background information so that I didn’t just have to take what was said at face value. The article explained how the different time frames in which poetry was written affected the medium. Additionally the medium of the language affects what is produced and how. The writing made me think a lot of the poem “Arcadia” because I think they had a similar subject. The reason the article gives for why poetry should be experimented with is the fact that poetry has not been static historically and that it needs to stay current with hyper-literate world. The writing acknowledges resistance toward modern poetry, but reassures us on the top of page then that “change is not corruption”.
WHY does poetry need to stay current? Why can't it just fade away into being a form we know about but that only a few enjoy, as when some people perform Civil War re-enactments?
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed reading this, Tobias. It is an article out of an academic collection. The author is himself an experimental poet, one engaged with the "Language Poetry" movement, which is a fairly academic approach to poetics. He teaches at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
I am glad someone found this reading easy! Do you think that the time it takes poetry to change is constant or is that changing too? Do you think there is anything concrete about poetry that will never change?
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