Erik, Pound's turn from lyric to epic (and the turn has a very wide radius) occurs during and after the First World War. It is chronicled in the Propertius poems and in Hugh Selwyn Mauberley. The poet-personae are broadening their attention. Love becomes intertwined with War. The 'inward gazing' does continue in The Cantos; these themes are not abandoned but they occur in a wider context and involve meditation on historical purpose and duty. This gradual transition from a focus on one's Place in the Cosmos to one's Place in History (though with a continued awareness of the cosmic plane) is not the same thing as a 'metamorphosis' --at least not in the sense in which Pound uses the word -- the busting through the quotidian into the divine and permanent world. Metamorphosis for Pound refers, as you have indicated, to a psychic phenomenon that occurs with a time-stands-still suddenness, an epiphany --what you called a 'magic moment.' Tim Romano ----- Original Message ----- From: Erik Volpe <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, 07 Sep 1999 8:46 AM Subject: Re: Pound's Tragic Flaw > I like your point, but is there no "inward gaz(e)"ing in The Cantos? or > continuation of his earlier obsession with advancement of craft? > Sincere question: where is the bisect or turning point in The Cantos > when Pound departs his: > Live man goes down into world of Dead > The 'repeat in history' > The 'magic moment' or moment of metamorphosis, bust thru quotidien into > 'divine or permanent world. > When does Pound abandon these guidelines for The Republic? Is the Pisan > Cantos the return of these earlier intentions and the "inward gaze?" > > --- Tim Romano <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > When Pound turned himself from a poet of 'the > > obscure reveries of the > > inward gaze' into a poet who would 'sing war' -- > > from a lyric poet into an > > epic poet -- his subject matter became The Republic. > > Aesthete Pound could > > have been content to be remembered as a poet "whose > > greatest achievement may > > have been to advance the art in terms of craft and > > technique, pushing it in > > new directions..." But Epic Pound wanted to leave a > > larger legacy: EP > > sought to rejuvenate and restore The Republic and to > > return It to its First > > Principles. EP chose to enter what is called Public > > Life--public not in the > > debased sense, where the famous artist is the > > darling of paparazzi for a > > fleeting 15 minutes, but public in the sense of > > Patria and Statesmanship and > > Civic Duty. EP had faith that Art could shape Life. > > Artifice (today we call > > it "spin") shapes opinion, so why not Art? But he > > was no Machiavel: Pound's > > tragic flaw was innocence. > > > > Reading over what I've just written before sending > > it out, I realize that > > my view of Pound has been influenced by things > > Wyndham Lewis has written > > about the poet as much as it has evolved from my own > > close readings of > > Pound's poetry and prose. But it's been a very long > > time since I've read > > anything Lewis. Am I remembering his The Lion and > > The Fox? Or is it The Art > > of Being Ruled? > > Tim Romano > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: C.Brandon Rizzo <[log in to unmask]> > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Saturday, 04 Sep 1999 7:23 PM > > Subject: Re: FIRE! > > > > > > > Can EP's Poetics be split? Namely, via Williams' > > old saying: "It's not > > what > > > you say, but how you say it". The HOW seems to be > > imperative. And i'm > > talking > > > FORM THEORY here, used by Pound, pragmatically. > > This is not to simply > > brush > > > aside politics, economics, et al, but to change > > the scope. Pound's > > greatest > > > achievement may have been to advance the art in > > terms of craft and > > technique, > > > pushing it in new directions, so to speak. Food > > for thought. > > > > > > --CB > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com > >