The afternoon after Bonfire Night, and just a week after Hallowe’en, seems apt for our discussion of poems on the twin topic of Heaven and Hell. The balance tipped towards Hell, but included poems that asserted the reality and the unreality of Heaven and the Sartrian notion that Hell is other people. Among the poems chosen Paradise Lost occurred twice. Extracts from the fall of Lucifer and his first actions and response to the burning lake and its surrounding ‘darkness visible’, followed the building of Pandemonium. This of course reverses the order of these episodes in the poem, and the building of the Satanic palace posed the question of why Milton includes elegant refinements of architectural fashion, such as Doric columns, and symphonies of music, when Hell is the antithesis of all heavenly harmony. Theories were advanced for the literary necessity of including an aesthetic more consistent with Heaven.
Among the other poems chosen were ‘The English Lesson’, by Michael Schmidt; ‘Annabel Lee’ by Edgar Allen Poe; ‘Back in the Playground Blues’ by Adrian Mitchell; ‘The Parable of the Old Man and the Young by Wilfred Owen; Lucifer in Starlight by George Meredith; and ‘All Souls’ by Dana Gioia; and the first part of Richard III's opening speech from Shakespeare's play.
December will be Free Choice again.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October Meeting
Our October meeting was very well attended, with the usual wide range of poems from the famous to the ‘utilitarian but fun’. We were trying to catch up with poems left over from last month, but once again discussions were so enthusiastic and varied in opinion that some members of the group did not get to read their poems. This will eventually work itself out in further ‘Favourite poems’ sessions.
The poems we did manage to cover this month were the very inventive ‘Recipe for a Salad’, by Sydney Smith – surprisingly modern for an 18thC poet; the famous and entertaining ‘A Smuggler’s Song’ by Kipling; a whimsical but untitled poem discovered as part of an advertisment for Dulux paint - this is the 'utilitarian but fun poem' created for a commercial purpose and none the worse for that. We also heard and commented on Andrew Motion’s clever comment on middle class complacency: ‘A Glass of Wine’; the insightful, beautifully restrained and very witty ‘A Message to My Grandson’ by the Australian poet Michael Thwaites; ‘Nettles’ by Vernon Scannell; and the renowned ‘Lady of Shallott’ by Tennyson. This poem caused more comment and controversy that might be expected. Disliked by some, loved by others, we almost ended up deciding on a whole session devoted to (1) this poem, or (2) Tennyson, or (3) similar works of the 19thC. In the end we agreed that the next meeting in November should take on the topic of Heaven and Hell – very appropriate for a meeting that will take place less than a week after the Feast of All Hallows!
The poems we did manage to cover this month were the very inventive ‘Recipe for a Salad’, by Sydney Smith – surprisingly modern for an 18thC poet; the famous and entertaining ‘A Smuggler’s Song’ by Kipling; a whimsical but untitled poem discovered as part of an advertisment for Dulux paint - this is the 'utilitarian but fun poem' created for a commercial purpose and none the worse for that. We also heard and commented on Andrew Motion’s clever comment on middle class complacency: ‘A Glass of Wine’; the insightful, beautifully restrained and very witty ‘A Message to My Grandson’ by the Australian poet Michael Thwaites; ‘Nettles’ by Vernon Scannell; and the renowned ‘Lady of Shallott’ by Tennyson. This poem caused more comment and controversy that might be expected. Disliked by some, loved by others, we almost ended up deciding on a whole session devoted to (1) this poem, or (2) Tennyson, or (3) similar works of the 19thC. In the end we agreed that the next meeting in November should take on the topic of Heaven and Hell – very appropriate for a meeting that will take place less than a week after the Feast of All Hallows!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
September Meeting
Our topic for September was Free Choice, but in a very full afternoon we did not get through many poems. Those we did cover were ‘The Cat and the Moon’ by W. B. Yeats, and Shakespeare’s ‘Prologue from Romeo and Juliet’, both of which generated a good deal of discussion. The rest of the afternoon was given over to the provocative OULIPO ‘poem’, an N+7 version of Wallace Stevens’ ‘The Snow Man, that was my choice.
Chosen to try to help is unravel our feelings about ‘what is a poem’, what is a good poem’ – topics we come back to at almost every meeting – the OULIPO creation certainly provided a challenge. It also revealed some interesting things about how we as readers relate to the ‘thing’ on the page.
Some of us were ready and willing to attempt interpretations, at least of the bits that made some syntactical sense. Some of us thought it an annoying waste of personal time. This was the reaction I had thought would be most general. I didn’t expect anyone to regard it as worthy of further contemplation. This raised interesting thoughts about how form and authorial declarations may control our reception of poems.
We also compared the OULIPO ‘poem’ against Shakespeare’s Prologue which divided opinion and opened up the vexed question of the ongoing effect of the old Leavisite idea of the ‘canon’ of literature. All in all we covered a great deal of ground in our discussion – everyone participated and it made for a rich diversity of attitudes towards poetry.
Because the OULIPO discussion took up so much time our meeting in October will again be on the topic of Free Choice.
Chosen to try to help is unravel our feelings about ‘what is a poem’, what is a good poem’ – topics we come back to at almost every meeting – the OULIPO creation certainly provided a challenge. It also revealed some interesting things about how we as readers relate to the ‘thing’ on the page.
Some of us were ready and willing to attempt interpretations, at least of the bits that made some syntactical sense. Some of us thought it an annoying waste of personal time. This was the reaction I had thought would be most general. I didn’t expect anyone to regard it as worthy of further contemplation. This raised interesting thoughts about how form and authorial declarations may control our reception of poems.
We also compared the OULIPO ‘poem’ against Shakespeare’s Prologue which divided opinion and opened up the vexed question of the ongoing effect of the old Leavisite idea of the ‘canon’ of literature. All in all we covered a great deal of ground in our discussion – everyone participated and it made for a rich diversity of attitudes towards poetry.
Because the OULIPO discussion took up so much time our meeting in October will again be on the topic of Free Choice.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
August 7th 2010 - Geography
As we reassembled after a 5 week month, we welcomed 2 new participants to the group and the discussion during the afternoon was as diverse and lively as usual. Our topic was Geography and we found many approaches to it.
Starting very sensibly we heard Caroline Bird’s short and somewhat pessimistic ‘Geography Lessons’. This was followed by Keat’s ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’ – what a contrast as the poet presents his excitement at intellectual discovery in terms of geographical exploration. My poem was the last part of Shelley’s ‘Mont Blanc’, and after this, came Ian McKay’s ‘Volcanoes’. It was remarked that the first 4 poems all contained references to mountains of one kind or another – but all very differently handled.
We had a complete change of location with Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Peninsula’ and Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’. Following their engagement with psychology and to some extent even with epistemology, Edward Thomas’s profoundly melancholy ‘Rain’ provoked a good deal of comment.
The emerging poet Miriam Gamble’s ‘On Fancying American Film Stars’ generated some discussion on one of our perpetual themes: ‘what makes a poem a poem and what makes a good poem?’
We finished gently with Frances Thomson’s ‘Arab Song’.
In September we have Free Choice again.
Starting very sensibly we heard Caroline Bird’s short and somewhat pessimistic ‘Geography Lessons’. This was followed by Keat’s ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’ – what a contrast as the poet presents his excitement at intellectual discovery in terms of geographical exploration. My poem was the last part of Shelley’s ‘Mont Blanc’, and after this, came Ian McKay’s ‘Volcanoes’. It was remarked that the first 4 poems all contained references to mountains of one kind or another – but all very differently handled.
We had a complete change of location with Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Peninsula’ and Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’. Following their engagement with psychology and to some extent even with epistemology, Edward Thomas’s profoundly melancholy ‘Rain’ provoked a good deal of comment.
The emerging poet Miriam Gamble’s ‘On Fancying American Film Stars’ generated some discussion on one of our perpetual themes: ‘what makes a poem a poem and what makes a good poem?’
We finished gently with Frances Thomson’s ‘Arab Song’.
In September we have Free Choice again.
July 3rd 2010 Free Choice
After our excursion into France and all things French in June, we were back to free choice in July. This produced the usual eclectic mix and intense discussions, so much so that at least one poem had to be held over until August.
Among our July poems were the troubling and fascinating ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ by Roddy Lumsden which is a reaction to and elaboration of the Beatles song of the same title. Ben Jonson’s Epigram XLII – ‘On Giles and Joan’ was a much merrier and wittier insight into the relationship of a married couple at a time when it was virtually impossible to get out of a marriage no matter how bad it was. We stayed in the early modern period with the Dirge from Shakespeare’s Cymbeline that begins ‘Fear no more the heat o’ the sun’. The importance of renown was not appreciated by everyone, but the poem met with general approval. Seamus Heaney’s grim ‘Mid-Term Break’ continued the theme of mortality, relating the funeral rites for his little dead brother. The phrase ‘wearing a poppy bruise’ was particularly noted. ‘Hamnavoe’ had to be left over till August as we ran out of time. It was fortunate then that our August topic was to be Geography.
Among our July poems were the troubling and fascinating ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ by Roddy Lumsden which is a reaction to and elaboration of the Beatles song of the same title. Ben Jonson’s Epigram XLII – ‘On Giles and Joan’ was a much merrier and wittier insight into the relationship of a married couple at a time when it was virtually impossible to get out of a marriage no matter how bad it was. We stayed in the early modern period with the Dirge from Shakespeare’s Cymbeline that begins ‘Fear no more the heat o’ the sun’. The importance of renown was not appreciated by everyone, but the poem met with general approval. Seamus Heaney’s grim ‘Mid-Term Break’ continued the theme of mortality, relating the funeral rites for his little dead brother. The phrase ‘wearing a poppy bruise’ was particularly noted. ‘Hamnavoe’ had to be left over till August as we ran out of time. It was fortunate then that our August topic was to be Geography.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
June Poems
Our topic this month was France and anything connected with it. This gave us plenty of scope and produced not only the usual wide range of poetry but confronted us with some problems of translation. Among the poems presented were ‘Last Post’ by Carol Ann Duffy, about WW1, ‘Maison d’Aujourd’Hiu’ by Donald Hall, stanzas from ‘The Grande Chartreuse’, by Matthew Arnold, 2 versions of ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, 2 poems by Baudelaire ‘The Erotic Perfume’, and ‘The Albatross’ – this one caused problems because various translations are available, but not all of the same quality. The mood was lightened by a humorous poem called ‘Do a project’, and was changed again to perplexity by 2 short poems by the modern French poet Jacques Vert: ‘ For you my love’, which began like a traditional folk song or rhyme but developed to become rather dark and troubling* and ‘Breakfast’ which seemed inexplicably banal - which was probably the point! Our difficulty did not lie so much with the translations of the last 2 poems as with the style of these modern works. The fifteenth-century ‘Carol for Agincourt’ did not require much thought, but was gently entertaining. Our poems next month will be free choice.
* As in previous sessions, we notice a generational split at time as those of us who remember the original feminist struggle take a more rigorous and bleak view of some poems, while your younger female colleagues seem unperturbed by insights into the inequalities of gender and depictions of patriarchal oppression that some mid-20thC poets include in their works.
* As in previous sessions, we notice a generational split at time as those of us who remember the original feminist struggle take a more rigorous and bleak view of some poems, while your younger female colleagues seem unperturbed by insights into the inequalities of gender and depictions of patriarchal oppression that some mid-20thC poets include in their works.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May Poems
This month we had a free choice and the usual wide variety of poems gave us plenty to discuss. We were much exercised by D.H. Lawrence’s enigmatic poem ‘The Man of Tyre’, and debated the significance of its reference to ‘maidenhair’. Gillian Allnutt’s ‘Alien’ created more debate with its high-feminist agenda. Tatamkhula Afrika’s ‘Nothing Changed’ continued the political theme from another perspective and introduced most of us to bunny chows – an interesting-sounding snack of hollowed bread with curry filling.
Still being political, 2 members of the group brought poems by Kipling. One, the hymn-like ‘Recessional’ was full of war-like imagery of the high days of Empire, the other, an apt satire in 6 lines on corrupt politicians under the title ‘A Dead Statesman.’
In a shift away from politics of all kinds Roger McGough’s ‘P.C. Plod versus the Park Road Rapist’ was initially taken as light-hearted mockery of the stereotypical ‘thick’ policeman of earlier times, but on further reading most of us were disturbed by the potential consequences implicit beneath the humour, and the poem took on its own bleakly satirical edge.
Less controversial was ‘Musee des Beaux Artes’, about the Brueghel painting of the fall of Icarus. We were treated to a copy of the painting in order to get some idea of the context. The disjunction between ordinary and extraordinary was remarked upon. Philip Larkin’s ‘An Arundel Tomb’ found general approval for its atmosphere of enduring love.
Everyone seemed to relax and enjoy the beautiful extract from Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice. It was Lorenzo’s short speech to Jessica that begins ‘How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!’ No wonder Ralph Vaughan Williams set it to music.
Our topic for June will be FRANCE.
Still being political, 2 members of the group brought poems by Kipling. One, the hymn-like ‘Recessional’ was full of war-like imagery of the high days of Empire, the other, an apt satire in 6 lines on corrupt politicians under the title ‘A Dead Statesman.’
In a shift away from politics of all kinds Roger McGough’s ‘P.C. Plod versus the Park Road Rapist’ was initially taken as light-hearted mockery of the stereotypical ‘thick’ policeman of earlier times, but on further reading most of us were disturbed by the potential consequences implicit beneath the humour, and the poem took on its own bleakly satirical edge.
Less controversial was ‘Musee des Beaux Artes’, about the Brueghel painting of the fall of Icarus. We were treated to a copy of the painting in order to get some idea of the context. The disjunction between ordinary and extraordinary was remarked upon. Philip Larkin’s ‘An Arundel Tomb’ found general approval for its atmosphere of enduring love.
Everyone seemed to relax and enjoy the beautiful extract from Shakespeare’s A Merchant of Venice. It was Lorenzo’s short speech to Jessica that begins ‘How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!’ No wonder Ralph Vaughan Williams set it to music.
Our topic for June will be FRANCE.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
