tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post2856381757286383718..comments2023-12-28T13:11:06.666+00:00Comments on Pics and Poems: The Roar of the CanonDave Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-58865102687471044832008-03-16T19:23:00.000+00:002008-03-16T19:23:00.000+00:00I suppose with brand names we are almost getting b...I suppose with brand names we are almost getting back to jargon - but perhaps we'd better not get into that. The whole question of allusion, though, is an interesting one. If you read "The Waste Land" without getting the allusions, there is still enough there to be going on with. The question then is: how far can you expect a serious reader to dig and search out the allusions. That is much easier these days than even a decade or two back, thanks to Google. A serious reader will be prepared to work at it, I think - as long as s/he feels the poem is worth the effort.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-45074303342100768452008-03-16T14:52:00.000+00:002008-03-16T14:52:00.000+00:00Yes, I have had problems myself in fact where I've...Yes, I have had problems myself in fact where I've referenced or alluded to something in the Bible, something I've considered obvious, and I've had to explain myself. I had a poem rejected a few weeks back and the editor – unusually – explained that one of the reasons was that he didn't think his readers would get the biblical reference.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly I've found myself in a similar situation only today. I critiqued a poem by a young lady that made reference to things like 'CG liner' and 'razr' which I had to look up (they're brand names apparently) but which I suppose a youngster would connect with right away. Despite the numerous ads that I now realise I've seen for the Razr, I did not. To be totally honest, of the top of my head, I couldn't tell you what make my mobile it.<BR/><BR/>I have no intention of dumbing down my writing but I guess I have to realise that by digging my heels in I'm limiting my readership. You could think of it as a marketing ploy – the people who get what I'm about <I>are</I> my ideal demographic.Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-83699779016763393872008-03-16T09:10:00.000+00:002008-03-16T09:10:00.000+00:00Thanks for the feedback, Dick. My sympathies (and ...Thanks for the feedback, Dick. My sympathies (and envy) at your kid-filled days. I remember them well! And yes, we should be grateful to The Guardian and The Independent, as indeed I am. It wasn't my intention to knock them.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2508563923634392703.post-91337496795183758162008-03-16T08:30:00.000+00:002008-03-16T08:30:00.000+00:00I wish I had time during this kid-filled Sunday or...I wish I had time during this kid-filled Sunday or during the GCSE/A-level-filled week beyond to do justice to an excellent and thought-provoking post, Dave. By and large, I'm with you in hearing little more than 'sporadic musket fire'. <BR/><BR/>Regarding the good works of The Independent and The Guardian/Observer, let us at least be grateful for a double-barreled attempt to raise the ante of poetry and to provide some historical continuity. Point taken, however, re the dearth of female poets. Hardly in the liberal tradition represented by those newspapers, is it?<BR/><BR/>Keep them coming, Dave!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com