I don't see any need to canonize Pound or try to see him as being seperate or "above" the times with our newly-modeled perspectives. Anti-Semitism was as common to Europe as the catholic church, and I tend to think that Pound's use is a realistic reflection of renaissance (& post-renaissance) tones. I don't seem to ever hear as much complaining about it in Shakespear (e. g. Merchant of Venice) as I do with regards to Pound. Also, I have found, in letters to Zukofsky, instances before 1938 where Pound denounces anti-Semitism -- against fascists (some in Britain) who were equating Jews with usury. Essentially, Pound said that he opposed the use of racism as a political means. David Centrone At 01:10 AM 5/22/98 -0400, you wrote: >Whether or not, at the end of his life, Pound "recanted" >about anything (about Usury, or about his "insufficient >attention to the Hebraic element in history," as he told >me personally), should not--IMHO--affect our reading of >the Cantos, which he had ceased adding anything to by 1960, >about the time he became preoccupied with health problems >and became very depressed and self-deprecatory. Chaucer >"recanted" his whole frivolous literary career before his >own death--no doubt to secure entry into heaven--but the >Miller's Tale is still as funny as ever. > >==Dan Pearlman > >At 07:35 PM 5/21/98 -0700, you wrote: >>In John Tytell's "Ezra Pound - The Solitary Volcano" he stated on page 338: >> >>"Two weeks before his eighty-seventh birthday he read at a small cafe for >>an intimate gathering of friends. The material included a sort of >>postscript to The Cantos: >> >>'re USURY >>I was out of focus, taking a symptom for a >>cause. >>The cause is AVARICE .' " >> >>Tytell goes on with "It all seemed like an apologia, ..." >> >>Does anyone disagree that Pound recanted on his lifelong stand on usury? >> >Dan Pearlman Office: Department of English >102 Blackstone Blvd. #5 University of Rhode Island >Providence, RI 02906 Kingston, RI 02881 >Tel.: 401 453-3027 Tel.: 401 874-4659 >email: [log in to unmask] Fax: 401 874-2580 > >