I read and love poetry in English;  Collins wrote this poem in English;
I can't stand this poem.

charles moyer wrote:

>Tim,
>    Again, I did not write that. It is from Leon Surette's book on Modernism
>and the Occult. p.285. I agree with you Tim. Furthermore I think it smacks
>of witch-hunting taken to absurd lengths which was my point about equating
>Modernism with the Occult and the negative connotations of the resulting
>violence to existing "order" implied.
>    Since we are on the subject of Modernism here is what I read in
>yesterday's Cleveland Plain Dealer concerning our poet laureate's appearance
>at John Carroll University tonight.
>    "There's a waiting audience out there that was frightened away by
>Modernist poetry in school. You feel alienated from your own language, which
>is unpleasant," Collins says in phone call from his home in Somers, N.Y.
>"There's a syllogism at work here. The syllogism goes like this: I can read
>and understand English; this poem was written in English; I can't understand
>this poem."
>    Any comments?
>
>Charles
>
>----------
>
>
>>From: Tim Bray <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: Pound and the Occult (was not
>>Date: Tue, Jan 28, 2003, 11:54 PM
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>>Carrol Cox wrote:
>>
>>
>>>charles moyer wrote:
>>>
>>>"apparent immateriality of quantum physics and the apparent
>>>irrationality of relativity theory"
>>>
>>>
>>I missed that, but I object.  Nothing is more material than quantum
>>physics, a hodgepodge of mathematics which seems to do a good job of
>>predicting the observed material results of experiments; the violently
>>counterintuitive nature of what the math seems to be telling us is a
>>symptom of materiality - the world is what it is, not what we think it
>>is, and if what it is seems weird, well that's just the way it is.
>>Similarly for relativity theory, it's weird all right but there's
>>nothing irrational about it.  And we lack alternatives.  And it is a
>>good thing to try to understand the world. -Tim
>>
>>
>
>
>

--

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