Thursday, January 21, 2010

"Should Poetry Critics Go Negative"

Hello Writers,

Travis Nichols of the Huffington Post addresses an interesting dilemma in the world of Poetry,"Should Poetry Critics Go Negative". (If you click the post title I'll link you to his article).

Here's an excerpt:

Colin Ward asks, "Does the critic who stands silent against a tidal wave of blurbing on a sea of mediocrity really 'do no harm'?"

Cheryl Gilbert says, "Poetry is a variety of things, but it is also a conversation. Poets and critics and readers grow through interaction. This can be separate, even if negative, from a notion of love."

Kent Johnson asks, "Where would radical Modernism have gone without negative critique? What would [Ezra]Pound have done with himself, for example? The avant-garde, ipso facto, has always relied on it."

Henry Gould: "A critic's task is to educate popular taste - to help readers discover the best their culture has to offer - & WHY it is the best."

Sina Queyras: "Tougher criticism to me means more probing, less judging."

What is your opinion on the matter?

Seth

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