Tim Romano, i wrote to credit yer distinction between racism and racial chauvinism ...where it appeared the discussion, after the current right-think, was implying identity. ...and don't dissagree in re the necessity of grasping ep's metaphors/myths, personal, social, historical...anagogical. whence the importance of not disqualifying "race" ...no more, ideology, the perrennial allure of the caeser myth (all that cornball "gloire de france" type stuff) of fascism how a century previous ep's spiritual antecedants had fell for bonaparte...nso on...you get my drift ...the prevailing cant of our neo-lib blue-noses rendering us all a democracy of skinnerian ciphers sans family, race, gender, religion, history..., within a consumerist ideology emfatically does not morally eclipse these forms finally, btw, the connection twixt xxxii & xxxvi, ie, in general, that rev is an especially archetypal form of eros, is patent, no? only that the yankee eros was anally focused, eh?... acquisitiveness, land jobbery, stock jobbery, usury... -----Original Message----- From: Tim Romano <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Friday, October 22, 1999 8:17 AM Subject: Re: Racial or cultural? >Bob Scheetz, >My motives have been to shed some light in this forum on Pound's ideology >because I think it is necessary to understand his IDEAS if we are to >understand his poetry and his political views. Pound thought so too. The >current context was "racism" and "anti-semiticism". I have been trying to >encourage a balanced use of the source material, letters AND published >writings, when Pound's views on these matters are the topic of discussion. >Thus, my participation in this thread has NOT been > >> a exercise >> in emasculation...a smugly superior fastidiousness > > >Without an understanding of how he makes distinctions, how he draws >comparisons, how are we to perceive the thematic connections Pound was >making between, say, canto XXXII and canto XXXVI? > >Between > > 'The revolution', said Mr Adams, > 'Took place in the minds of the people.'" > ... > and > A lady asks me > I speak in season > She seeks reason for an affect, wild often > That is so proud he hath Love for a name. > ... > >The view of Poetry that you express in the following lines > >> ...and it's precisely this pathetic (ie love/hate) perception >> of living identities (namings, substantives, stereotypes..) >> what enables our poetry. > >is unclear (I don't see how "namings" or "stereotypes" can be regarded as >"living") though I think I get the pulp of what you're saying. I believe >your stated view runs counter to Pound's view of poetry. If I understand >you correctly, yer sayin' poetry is an emotional affair that is fueled by >raw cognitive conflict: "pathetic (ie love/hate) perception". Whereas for >Pound, fine poetry makes fine distinctions. >Tim Romano