Sounds like a good plan, Charles -- I think you've really got something
there.  I only introduce Pound to people after a lengthy screening
process.  But, yes, it works sometimes.

charles moyer wrote:

>Here, Here or is it Hear, Hear?
>
>            "But in Ealing
>With the most bank-clerkly of Englishmen?"
>
>And the question here of teaching Pound to undergraduates may be best
>answered by maintaining the tradition as it has been with the poison label
>on his works. Nothing excites the imagination more than labeling something
>dangerous or forbidden. And imagine kids -poetry that can get you high!
>After all as it has been pointed out by a recent National Geographic study
>only one in seven (14%) of American youths from 18 to 24 (draft age) could
>find Iraq on a world map. How many do you think could find Pound in a
>library?
>     Ah, "the triumph of the superficiality and the apotheosis of the raw"
>-William James (American pragmatist)
>    Dirk, Do you really introduce men and women to Pound? I found him to to
>be a real conversation stopper long ago. But I'm going to try something new.
>Upon hearing anything which remotely sounds like American Studies I am going
>to casually say, "You know Ezra Pound, the poet, possibly could shed some
>light on that subject, but the government has forbidden his books and burned
>all of them they could find." Well, OK, it wouldn't be exactly true, but
>these are dire times, and we must use drastic methods if American Studies
>are to survive. You know they hate us because we are "free", not because we
>are stupid. Gore Vidal watch out.
>
>-Moyer
>
>"'They were only war casualties,' he said. 'It was a pity, but you can't
>always hit your target. Anyway, they died in the right cause.'
>    'Would you have said the same if it had been your old nurse with her
>blueberry pie?'
>    He ignored my facile point. 'In a way you could say they died for
>democracy,' he said."
>    -from Graham Greene's "The Quiet American"
>
>
>----------
>
>
>>From: Dirk Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: American studies
>>Date: Thu, Jan 2, 2003, 11:47 PM
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>>Interesting.  Well, one of the reasons that I love Ezra Pound (and it's
>>possibly [almost said "perhaps" but I remember his annotations to the
>>rough draft of the Wasteland - 'damn per'apses'] the main reason) is
>>that one could use nearly any "[country] Studies" to describe him.  What
>>I mean is, Homer was the "education of the Greeks" and Pound is the
>>"education of the Americans and Europeans".
>>
>>Have I gone too far? Possibly [but seeing as he had been born...]....
>>but, though I wonder why I MUST introduce ol' Ez to those who don't like
>>him or immediately respond to him, I've introduced many men and women to
>>him in person (I mean, saying "here, read this" or "hear, listen to
>>this")....  and, Guess What?.... their encounter with the old fascist
>>fart made them DEEPLY aware of the poetry of the WORLD.  Not to say that
>>they (or I) always agree(d) with him [EP].... hell, I love Milton,
>>e.g.....  But Ol Ez forced me to THINK about whether I like Paradise
>>Lost... not just assume that I must because.. oh, I don't know... maybe
>>someone I admired (like Mr. Pearlman, to pull a name out of a silk hat
>>perched on a Bradford millionaire) liked it..... Id est... EP made me
>>think for MYSELf {in his poetry AND in his prose}... badly as I pull it
>>off, and as idiotically as I've picked up some of the man's worst habits.
>>
>>Jon & Anne Weidler wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>People have wondered why Kate Cone, reasonable as she is, would object
>>>that American studies aren't safe on the Pound list.  She might have
>>>said so because of some mildly disgruntled comments like these,
>>>authored by Jay Anania:  "I thought this was a Pound list.   Certainly
>>>in the past, before the long tempus tacendi, it was often very
>>>interesting[. . .] [But] questions about how to teach Zane Grey has me
>>>a little confused.  On the other hand, I thanks Charles, Carlo, and
>>>some others for their insights, and especially their ability to form a
>>>lively sentence."
>>>
>>>I'm the fellow who started the ZG thread (about eleven hours ago, on a
>>>whim), and couldn't help but wonder about the spirit of such confusion
>>>myself, much as I suspect Kate did.  "American studies" of course
>>>includes Zane Grey, as Sylvester P. just noted.  Kate (I assume) was
>>>reacting negatively to the notion that this list be strictly about
>>>Pound and nothing else.  I think that she might have been overhasty in
>>>asking to unsubscribe (Kate: it would be nice if you didn't follow
>>>through on that threat!), but I sympathize with her gripe.  Jay likes
>>>well-written sentences and well-informed people; so do we all, I hope;
>>>however, he seems not to like it that threads stray from our proper
>>>topic.
>>>
>>>Opinions are opinions, and this is by no means a closed question: my
>>>wife warns me that many newsgroups expect posters to remain on their
>>>stated subject, and only write towards the list's main purpose.  I
>>>hadn't anticipated that this would be such a list (since after all,
>>>Pound didn't exactly restrict his discursive interests) but would like
>>>to be informed if such is the case.  If not, I see no reason to
>>>complain about posts that drive over the curbs, so to speak.  I'm no
>>>stranger to listgroups, and though I am a relative newcomer here, I can
>>>tell when there are long-time members with prestige and clout, and
>>>around whom other long-time members will collect.  I value the
>>>diversity of this list (even though the sentiment makes me choke on
>>>such regurgitated undergraduate platitudes).  Surely it's permissible
>>>for newcomers to introduce lines of discussion, and I don't think it's
>>>much of a presumption.
>>>
>>>Enlighten me, for I am burdened-
>>>Jon
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>--
>>
>>Dirk Johnson
>>676 Geary #407
>>San Francisco, CA 94102
>>
>>[log in to unmask]
>>Home: 415-771-7734
>>Office Direct: 510-208-8200
>>Office Fax: 510-208-8282
>>
>>
>
>
>

--

Dirk Johnson
676 Geary #407
San Francisco, CA 94102

[log in to unmask]
Home: 415-771-7734
Office Direct: 510-208-8200
Office Fax: 510-208-8282