I find Mr P's continuing, heated, personal attacks on me - "this Billy fellow" - unduly vicious and vehement given the fact that my only desire in sending out the script was to bring to the group's attention a piece of dramatic writing about Pound which (i believed) might open up a fertile ground of discussion, and one which many Pound scholars have misunderstood, (e.g.: one biographer writing that the Wandjina were African deities!) The play has been well-received by audiences and critics round the world, and I was not looking for either kudos or markets... only interested readers and a play of ideas. I feel like reminding Mr P of Pound's view: "you can spot the bad critic when he starts with the poet instead of the poem." I have the feeling he'd like to ride me out of town - or the group - on rail. And for what? Wanting to share another line of thought - another point of view? Please understand, I do I see this group as being "my audience". The play wasn't written for you. And besides, you're muchtoo small and lacking in influence to do anything at all for me in terms of the theatre world... a world which I am sure many of you stay well clear of. However, I would suggest to Mr P - assuming he is possessed of intellectual curiosity - that he at least read the play before slanging off at me. He might be pleasantly surprised. Mary and others associated with the Pound estate read it in ms form before it was published by Harper/Collins, and gave it their blessings, as well as permission to quote from Pound's poems, etc. Again... if there is anyone left in the forum who has not read the play or who is willing to set aside whatever prejudices which might be keeping them from reading it, it can be accessed at URL http://mycomm.excite.com/mycomm/browse.asp?cid=129973 Having said this I will say no more.... let's finish it here, all right? another measured response (!) from Billy Marshall Stoneking ----- Original Message ----- From: Daniel Pearlman <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 10:36 AM Subject: Re: the Stoneking Play > Alex, > > I am talking about the imposition on listmembers of UNWANTED > long files, whether sent as attachments or email inclusions. > What further pisses me off--and should bother all "academics"-- > is Billy's sneering putdown of the entire class of academics, > as though Pound would have justified this snottiness, when in > fact EP would have liked nothing better than to have become > a REAL professor rather than just working out of his own > Ezuversity. It strikes me, as it should you, rather ironic > that this Billy fellow should openly express contempt for > the very audience he is trying to reach! > > ==DP > > At 09:15 AM 8/19/99 +0100, you wrote: > >Dan, > > > >the problem was that, although Mr Stoneking seemed to having mailed his > play as > >an attachment, it didn't arrive here as an attachment. Attachements > usually are > >no problem to read. If an attachement text is part of the eMail proper, > however, > >I don't know what to do with the loads of MIME-formatted ASCII's. That was > the > >reason why, after having asked Billy to mail me the play, I had to ask him a > >second time. It was the same: It didn't arrive here as an attachment but as > >the garbage part of his eMail. So I had wasted a good online half hour for > >NOTHING [& I have to pay my bills myself; my PC stands in my office at > home, not > >in a university]. > > > >Which I see as more or less MY problem & not Billy's. Obviously I cannot > blame > >HIM for having got garbage in my PC instead of a play on EP. Mr Stoneking, > I'd > >venture to say without having "seen" the play, is a Poundian; thus he > belongs in > >the family and thus his play(s) deserve(s) our attention and not our > disapproval, > >no matter how new or old, how fast or slow our modems are. Le style c'est > >homme. > > > >alex > > > HOME: > Dan Pearlman > 102 Blackstone Blvd. #5 > Providence, RI 02906 > Tel.: 401 453-3027 > email: [log in to unmask] > Fax: (253) 681-8518 > http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/ > > OFFICE > Department of English > University of Rhode Island > Kingston, RI 02881 > Tel.: 401 874-4659 >