Brennen:
All a little too deep for me. These guys were FRIENDS. Tom

> Tom,
>
> I'll grant you that there isn't too much value in ranking poets, but I do
> think it is worthwhile to consider how two contemporaries made use of the
> poetics of their day. To pit Eliot against Pound was not the central purpose
> of my note. In my own defense, however, isn't it possible that Eliot, a
> careful writer, yes, but also a clever wit, penned his dedication to the
> _Waste Land_ with an implicit wink? Eliot did not write "the better poet."
> He wrote, "the better maker/craftsman." I see a potential (though definitely
> not certain) negative meaning in the phrase. Overemphasis of craft is a
> common criticism of certain poets and Eliot may have felt this way about
> Pound. For example, Wallace Stevens comes to mind as someone who has been
> assailed as being all craft and little content. I don't agree with that
> assesment, but it is a fairly common view.
>
> Brennen