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