Reading Chapter 1 of How to Read a Poem (HTRAP), I felt that there were several key points that stood above the rest in importance from the author’s viewpoint. Most were found in the first few pages.
First, there is the idea that critics produce literature as well as poets through the act of commenting on it. The relationship between poet and critic is dynamic; Each benefits from the other, and essentially are dependent on the other in terms of existence. HTRAP presents the modern idea - although arguing against it extensively - that criticism actually harms poetry.
Although it was not in the materials we have discussed in class, I recently watched the movie Howl, and found that the plot of the story, which is entirely true, supports this idea completely. Many may feel that Ginsberg’s poem Howl has no substance or literary worth. During the work’s obscenity trial which is documented in the movie, numerous critics are called to the stand to defend the poem’s legitimacy, or to argue that it is worthless. Some of the witnesses argued that because the poem did not follow a set pattern, it was simply the lewd ramblings of a maniac. One of the witnesses, however, looked at the poem from an appropriate critical perspective. He presented the idea that although the poem was obscene, it was simply an honest representation of the subculture of that day, and perhaps even a true portrayal of the thoughts and imaginations of a majority of 1950s culture. He understood that, as it is explained in HTRAP, a large part of criticism is understanding the forces that shape a particular sentence in a piece of work. Poetry is a conglomeration of art and existence; they go hand in hand. Thus, to understand the meaning of a poem, both must be at the forefront during analyzation.
In comparison, Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism speaks to the importance of reading a work in context.
A perfect Judge will read each Work of Wit
With the same Spirit that its Author writ,
This stanza of the lengthy work cautions a critic to avoid neglecting the life and times of the poet. Although it may seem negligible - especially when lost within the many words and nuances that make up a poem - remembering the context can be key to the understanding of the author’s intent.
Also, it is mentioned in HTRAP that it may seem unfashionable in our modern world to cling to these age old methods of critique. Chapter 1 speaks of students who are led to only conduct ‘content analysis,’ skimming the poem and describing what is going on. It is important, though, to treat poetry as a discourse, attending to language and all of its density and implications (including cultural context) rather than simply disembodying the poem and giving a sort of summary.
Both HTRAP and Essay on Criticism discuss the history of poetry and rhetoric in detail, although HTRAP goes beyond the 1711 date on which Essay on Criticism was published. It is a bit ironic that Pope’s work calls for an avoidance of trends. Consider the stanza:
Avoid Extreams; and shun the Fault of such,
Who still are pleas'd too little, or too much.
At ev'ry Trifle scorn to take Offence,
That always shows Great Pride, or Little Sense;
Those Heads as Stomachs are not sure the best
Which nauseate all, and nothing can digest.
According to HTRAP, this warning was overlooked by many of the romantic and even transcendental poets who delved deeply into the literary trends of their day, with little consideration to cultural connection.
One of the last observations I made while reading HTRAP dealt with the section on imagination. Essentially, poetry is not a real thing, and in that sense the criticism of poetry is an even further step from reality.
Because of this, it is absolutely necessary that the critic of poetry does not allow his analyzation of a work to be influenced by his own mindset. Pope speaks of this a bit in the opening of his poem. From his perspective, the best way to accomplish this goal is through self awareness:
But you who seek to give and merit Fame,
And justly bear a Critick's noble Name,
Be sure your self and your own Reach to know.
How far your Genius, Taste, and Learning go;
Launch not beyond your Depth, but be discreet,
And mark that Point where Sense and Dulness meet.
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