for some time now I've harbored the suspicion that there is a cadre of
Poundian critics whose purpose in commenting on the life (mainly) and the
work (hardly ever) of the complicated author known as Ezra Pound is to
discredit not only Pound the person, but the entire breadth and width of his
poetry.  now comes the hysterical deconstructions of one En Lin Wei, who, it
seems, can find nothing of merit in Pound's work, nothing but racism,
anti-Semitism, fascism and raw hatred.  for Wei, every nuance of Pound is
nothing but a confirmation these isms, with the implication that those who do
find merit in Pound's work are either ignorant or stupid.  am I the only one
who thinks it funny that such a critic should indulge in the same dogmatic
blindness that he accuses Pound of?

it may be that the progrom against Pound is having its effect.  how else can
one explain Carrol Cox's startling conclusion that, even though he has
(apparently) enjoyed reading the Cantos for more than 45 years, he could not,
"under current social/political conditions ... in honesty recommend to a
young person that they devote much time to it."  what a telling remark!  are
we to assume from this that young people of today are incapable, over a life
of reading, to differentiate between Pound the fascist and Pound the poet?
or is he afraid that by recommending Pound's poetry to young people, that
they will somehow see him as someone who endorses the objectionable aspects
of Pound's work?  anyone who engages Pound must, early on, come to terms with
Pound's ugliness.  it is only after a great struggle that one can come to an
honest appraisal of the work itself, and see the beauty and those elements of
truth that inform it.  struggling with the worst of Pound is the only way to
see the best of Pound, a process that one can only hope will eventually
inform the understanding of En Lin Wei.  I have found this process to be
personally rewarding, and I see no reason why one should deny it to young
people of today, particularly because of the current social/political
conditions.

joe brennan....


In a message dated 05/26/2000 11:54:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<
 Yes. I've been reading the poem for about 45 years -- starting over a
 decade before my political views changed rather radically. And once
 the poem has bitten one, it seems impossible not to continue to love
 it. But under current social/political conditions I could not in honesty
 recommend to a young person that they devote much time to it. Like
 some other great epics, it will be easier to admire unreservedly when
 its ideas are really dead -- which will not, I fear, be soon.
  >>