At least then we are not guilty of infanticide. I would suspect that everyone on this list is Humanitarily Correct. Erik --- Daniel Pearlman <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Political Correctness requires that we dump out the > baby with > the bath-water. I guess not too many of us on this > list could > be Politically Verrry Corrrect if we're still > holding on to > the baby. > > ==Dan > > At 07:28 PM 9/6/99 -0700, you wrote: > >How and where does anti-semitism effect or embody > Pound's poetics? His > >economics, personality, social views: yes. Imagism? > Modernization of > >dramatic monologue? the Vortex? free verse? where > is anti-semitism > >relevant in the development of any of these poetic > achievments? In The > >Cantos, do the fragments of anti-semitism consume > the main poetic > >themes and techniques which Pound strove to > perfect? Pound was a great > >poet, but like Villon, Chaucer, Hemmingway,and > Joyce, was a suspected > >asshole. Get over it. Be scholars and concern > yourself with the > >anti-semitism when it is necessary. When it arises, > talk about it, > >quote it, put it in proper context whether it makes > Pound look like a > >great guy or not. I would like to see more comments > supported by > >quotes, as I sometimes miss how these comments > relate to the work (my > >fault). > >Erik Volpe > >62 Waller St. > >Providence, RI 02908 > >401 351 3619 > >--- Daniel Pearlman <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > > > > > > > >> By selective quotation, you softpedal the > >> antisemitism of the > >> 30s, which grew more and more severe. > >> > >> ==DP > >> > >> > >> At 12:09 PM 9/6/99 -0800, you wrote: > >> >If I may intrude my ignorance into this learned > >> discussion one more time... > >> > > >> >EP's "anti-semitism" seems to me a much more > >> complicated matter than > >> >either his defenders or detractors appear to > >> realize. > >> > > >> >1.From his earliest letters, poems & articles, > EP > >> had an "anti-Judaic" > >> >positition,but I don't think this qualifies as > >> "anti-semitic" because > >> >it was part of his general "anti-monotheist" > >> stance, and (I think) > >> >always appears as part of a general rejection of > >> Chrisitianity, Judaism > >> >and Islam --"all this Xtian-Jew-Moslem bunk"as > he > >> sez in one place. > >> >(Selected Leters) > >> >B. In a 1919 aritcle,EP says he prfers the Jews > to > >> the Xtians and Moslems > >> >because they haven't started a religious war in > >> 2000 years (Selected Prose) > >> >C.The anti-monotheist position seems part of > that > >> aspect of EP > >> >which comes closest to conventional > "liberalism": > >> he dislikes monotheism > >> >because it appears historically linked to > >> intolerance. > >> >[Okay: he also disliked monotheism on poetic > >> grounds. His type > >> >of multilinguistic/multicultural sensibility > >> resonated more to > >> >polytheistic imagery than to monotheistic > >> abstraction > >> >or to Hindic monist abstraction.] > >> > > >> >2. In the 1930s, Pound repudiated anti-semitism > >> specifically and > >> >precisely in several places. Having joined the > >> anti-banker radicals > >> >as distinct from the anti-free-market radicals, > >> Pound found he > >> >had a lot of anti-semitic allies. He was not > >> quickly seduced by > >> >them. His 1930-1940 writings include several > >> explicit rejectons > >> >of generalized anti-semitism, usually on the > >> grounds that "the > >> >poorJews"were not responsible for the > Rothschilds, > >> and twice on > >> >the grounds that the worst "usurers" > >> (money-coiners) were > >> >not all Jews and once on the grounds that some > of > >> them were "Aryan" > >> >-- a sarcastic repudiation of Hitler's ideas. > >> (Collected Letters, Cantos, > >> >Terrel's Companion to the Cantos.) > >> > > >> >3. From about 1940 to somewhere in the 1960s EP > >> clearly > >> >and unambigously expressed uncritical (bigoted) > >> anti-semitism on > >> >many, many occasions. Only rarely did he pull > back > >> to the > >> >(relatively sane) position of only blaming > certain > >> banking families. > >> >He raved and ranted against "the Jews" in > general. > >> >Some consider this immoral; some consider it > >> insane; > >> >I can see some truth in both perspectives. > >> > > >> >4.From sometime in the 1960s (date unknown to > me: I > >> wd > >> >love to be informed by one of the more learned > >> members of > >> >this list ) EP repudiated his anti-semitism. > (See > >> especially > >> >his interview with Allen Ginsberg) He then > became > >> silent, > >> >either in clinical depression (psychiatric view) > or > >> as > >> >pennance (religious view.) In either case, the > >> punishment > >> >inflicted upon him by the US govt was continued > by > >> >self-punishment. > >> > > >> >5. The anti-monotheist position disappeared > around > >> the same > >> >time as the anti-semitism. The religious imagery > of > >> Pound's > >> >paradise cantos very carefully remains > >> non-sectarian, > >> >open to both monotheist and polytheist readings. > >> > > >> >This letter does not arrive at a verdict, and > does > >> not intend > >> >to move others toward a verdict or toward > >> abandonning thier > >> >previous verdicts. I merely wish to share my own > >> sense > >> >of the complexity and tragedy of Pound's "errors > >> and wrecks." > >> >Most of the Cantos seem to me neither error nor > >> wreck..... > >> > > >> > > >> >Most humbly, > >> > > >> > > >> >mark chan > >> > > >> > > >> >[log in to unmask] > >> > > >> > > >> >That is precisely what common sense is for, to > be > >> jarred into uncommon > >> >sense. One of the chief services whcih > mathematics > >> has rendered the > >> >human race in the past century is to put "common > >> sense" where it > >> >belongs, on the topmost shelf next to the dust > >> cannister labeled > >> >"discarded nonsense." > >> > Eric Temple Bell, Mathematics: Queen > of > >> the Sciences > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com