>And yet to be fair, mention Pound in a freshman survery course, and almost no
>one has heard of him. Is it really likely that those outside of the university
>or institution of higher ed are like you, or even as involved in the study and
>discussion of poets and poetry as is a bunch of freshman in a literary survey
>class?  In my wildest dreams, your kind would be common.  In Pound's wildest
>dreams--in Jeffersons dreams--the idea of the educated farmer--but the chief
>complaint about American and 20th century culture generally might be that the
>only place one can get exposure to thought, discussion, and a sense of who is
>who and what's what, is the university. The control that institution has on
>what is acceptable literary expression is appalling, but the greater problem is
>that it is just about the only game in town, barring a few collections of card
>playing, house painting poets here and there.  Admit it--you are a rare bunch.
 
i used to think so. but i keep finding more and more people my age who are
not in school, and are interesting in what are typically considered
"intellectual" pursuits. i am involved in what is called the "hardcore
scene", which is the intellegent, engaged section of the punk rock scene.
this may account for what you see as unusual.
i do agree with you on the bit about the control of the university. which is
why, at this point, i've not wasted any time there. i'm not at all
interested in getting a degree in anything, i adore learning too much. the
combination of these things has so far kept me out. (of course my 1.6 gpa
from high school my have something to do with it as well [i did get a 32 on
my act]. it was so low because i couldn't care about what they wanted to
teach me for the 100th time... so i read every book on the college reading
list they gave me my sophmore year, and then some. pound, of course, was not
on that list.)  i think this (university control) is so many people like
myself have strayed away from the university and made your freshman classes
dull. and my also acount for my knowing these people, while most people
older than we are ignorant of our existance.
or maybe i'm just special.
jeff.
ps- sorry for my "poet's tendency"-- that is ego: many references to myself.
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        There are no hierarchies, no infinite, no such many as mass,
        there are only
        eyes in all heads
        to be looked out of
 
                             -charles olson, from "letter 6" (of the maximus                                    poems)