Stoner,
I have but a few things to say, only with the hope of keeping this kind
of discourse alive (let's try to remain civil) and not attempting to
squash it before it gets real life.

First off, I'm neither an academic nor a professional writer. Pound
enthusiast, definitely. But I do not purport to understand him
completely, nor do I ever hope to. I do, however, recognize when
something I read of his moves me. That is unmistakable.

Let me offer you this perspective on the whole concern about defending
the man to protect a profession.

"In contrasting Gaudier's real knowledge (vide Aristotle's fivefold
division later) with the mentality of bureaucracy and of beanery, note
the current practices of latter and causes for.
1. Desire to get and retain job
2. That many scholars write under terror. They are forced to maintain a
pretence of omniscience. This leads to restricting their field of
reference. In a developed philological system they have to know "ALL"
about their subject. Which leads to segregation of minute portions of
that subject for "profounder" investigation. With corollary that any man
who knows where they oil well is, is considered superficial."
Guide To Kulchur, Section II "Vortex", E. Pound.

In my exposure to his writing, Pound has always been critical of
scholars. It is difficult to say whether he would approve of his own
"institutionalization". But let me be clear in the point of my note,
while there are many people who wield Pound in a way that is elitist,
that doesn't need to reflect on his work or the man himself. This is not
to say that Mr. Pound did not approach his writing with great bravado
and chauvinism.

As for killing the attention brought to his works in lieu of placing it
on less notable authors, I don't feel a death needs to occur. Let time
erode away the unnecessary fragments of the bough you see so deeply
mired in the mud.

Regards,
DC Vito

 -----Original Message-----
From:   Stoner James [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Friday, December 27, 2002 12:29 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Roma locuta, causa finite.

Jay and Daniel,

First, Jay, I find lots of manure in pastures, especially considering I
grew up on farms.  Your metaphor might be appropriate to the subject and
your e-mail.  My metaphor is more suited to the topic.  I must say that
if
your only answer to my e-mail is to dismiss and give pointers on how to
use spell check, then I must be write (right) about the matter.  The
beauty isn't self-evident as you claim.  Your elitist mentality is
disheartening.  If you believe your sensibility is superior, I'm certain
you can define the nature of such a well-developed sensibility.  What is
its nature, Jay?  Why is it that only a few erudite professionals and
not
real poets--but academics, not versed in poetic sensibility, and unable
to
provide a definition of such a superior claim to sensibility, open for
debate and criticism, by others who question it--must continue to keep a
dead artist and his work alive, when there are others more worthy, such
as
E.R. Robinson, slaughtered by academics, who have a higher claim to art
in
the sense of beauty coupled with vicarious and accessible instruction (I
apologize for the complex sentence, Jay)?  Daniel recognizes the fact
that
a 'profession' keeps him alive, but wherein do we find the value of his
work?  The justification you're your work is assumed.  How do you
academics make such a justification?  Where is your justification?
Should
Pound be kept alive only to keep a Profession alive-to keep your
paychecks
rolling?  Why is it that your assumptions about art and sensibility can
not be questioned?  And when it is questioned the questions are
dismissed?
 Weber must have been right about beauracracies and professions-they
take
on life of there own beyond there original purpose.  Far be it for
anyone
to question the myth-making academics.  Should your work be left
unquestioned?  I think not.  Fascism would have it otherwise though.
Jay,
I did put this e-mail through the spell checker.


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