15/09/2015

Poetics,stolen:From"Adagia"WallaceStevens

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Poetics,stolen
BlogArchive
2009(6)
April(3)
WhatIsPoetry?JohnHallWheelock
From"Adagia"WallaceStevens
TheEnchafdFloodPartThreeW.H.Auden
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2010(2)

From"Adagia"WallaceStevens
***
Togiveasenseofthefreshnessorvividnessoflifeisavalidpurpose
forpoetry.Adidacticpurposejustifiesitselfinthemindofthe
teacheraphilosophicalpurposejustifiesitselfinthemindofthe
philosopher.Itisnotthatonepurposeisasjustifiableasanotherbut
thatsomepurposesarepure,othersimpure.Seekthosepurposes
thatarepurelythepurposesofthepurepoet.
***
Literatureisthebetterpartoflife.Tothisitseemsinvariably
necessarytoadd,providedlifeisthebetterpartofliterature.
***
Afteronehasabandonedabeliefingod,poetryisthatessencewhich
takesitsplaceaslife'sredemption.
Art,broadly,istheformoflifeorthesoundorcoloroflife.
Consideredasform(intheabstract)itisoftenindistinguishablefrom
lifeitself.
Thepoetseemstoconferhisidentityonthereader.Itiseasierto
recognizethiswhenlisteningtomusicImeanthissortofthing:the
transference.
Accuracyofobservationistheequivalentofaccuracyofthinking.
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***
Thecollectingofpoetryfromone'sexperienceasonegoesalongis
notthesamethingasmerelywritingpoetry.
Therelationofarttolifeisofthefirstimportanceespeciallyina
skepticalagesince,intheabsenceofabeliefinGod,themindturns
toitsowncreationsandexaminesthem,notalonefromtheaesthetic
pointofview,butforwhattheyreveal,forwhattheyvalidateand
invalidate,forthesupportthattheygive.
Agrandiosesubjectisnotanassuranceofagrandioseeffectbut,
mostlikely,oftheopposite.
Artinvolvesvastlymorethanthesenseofbeauty.
Lifeisthereflectionofliterature.
Aslifegrowsmoreterrible,itsliteraturegrowsmoreterrible.
***
Theimaginationwishestobeindulged.
Anewmeaningistheequivalentofanewword.
Poetryisnotpersonal.
***
Adeadromanticisafalsification.
Theromanticcannotbeseenthrough:itisforthemomentwillingly
notseenthrough.
Poetryisameansofredemption.
Poetryisaformofmelancholia.Orrather,inmelancholy,itisoneof
the"aultreschosessoalatieuses."
***
Therealisonlythebase,butitisthebase.
***
Thepoemrevealsitselfonlytotheignorantman.
***
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Poetics,stolen:From"Adagia"WallaceStevens

Therelationbetweenthepoetryofexperienceandthepoetryof
rhetoricisnotthesamethingastherelationbetweenthepoetryof
realityandthatoftheimagination.Experience,atleastinthecaseof
apoetofanyscope,ismuchbroaderthanreality.
Toalargeextent,theproblemofpoetsaretheproblemsofpainters,
andpoetsmustoftenturntotheliteratureofpaintingfora
discussionoftheirownproblems.
***
Abstractionisapartofidealism.Itisinthatsensethatitisugly.
Inpoetryatleasttheimaginationmustnotdetachitselffromreality.
Notallobjectsareequal.Theviceofimagismwasthatitdidnot
recognizethis.
***
Allpoetryisexperimentalpoetry.
Thebareimageandtheimageasasymbolarethecontrast:theimage
withoutmeaningandtheimageasmeaning.Whentheimageisused
tosuggestsomethingelse,itissecondary.Poetryasanimaginative
thingconsistsofmorethanliesonthesurface.
***
Inpoetry,youmustlovethewords,theideasandtheimagesand
rhythmswithallyourcapacitytoloveanythingatall.
***
Itisthebeliefandnotthegodthatcounts.
***
Whatweseeinthemindisasrealtousaswhatweseebytheeye.
Poetrymustbeirrational.
Thepurposeofpoetryistomakelifecompleteinitself.
Poetryincreasesthefeelingforreality.
Themindisnothinginlifeexceptwhatonethinksofit.
Thereisnothinginlifeexceptwhatonethinksofit.
Thereisnothingbeautifulinlifeexceptlife.
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Thereisnowinglikemeaning.
Consider:
1.)Thatthewholeworldismaterialforpoetry.
2.)Thatthereisnotaspecificallypoeticmaterial.
Onereadspoetrywithone'snerves.
***
Sentimentalityisafailureoffeeling.
Theimaginationistheromantic.
Poetryisnotthesamethingastheimaginationtakenalone.Nothing
isitselftakenalone.Thingsarebecauseofinterrelationsor
interactions.
***
Thefinalbeliefistobelieveinafiction,whichyouknowtobea
fiction,therebeingnothingelse.Theexquisitetruthistoknowthatit
isafictionandthatyoubelieveitwillingly.
***
Wineandmusicarenotgooduntilafternoon.Butpoetryislike
prayerinthatitismosteffectiveinsolitudeandinthetimesof
solitudeas,forexample,intheearliestmorning.
***
Poetryisapoeticconception,howeverexpressed.Apoemispoetry
expressedinwords.Butinapoemthereisapoetryofwords.
Obviously,apoemmayconsistofseveralpoetries.
***
Ethicsarenomoreapartofpoetrythantheyareofpainting.
***
Asthereasondestroys,thepoetmustcreate.
***
Itisnoteverydaythattheworldarrangesitselfinapoem.
***
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Theaestheticorderincludesallotherordersbutisnotlimitedto
them.
Religionisdependentonfaith.Butaestheticsisindependentoffaith.
Therelativepositionsofthetwomightbereversed.Itispossibleto
establishaestheticsintheindividualmindasimmeasurablyagreater
thingthanreligion.Itspresentstateistheresultofthedifficultyof
establishingitexceptintheindividualmind.
***
Poetryisapurgingoftheworld'spovertyandchangeandeviland
death.Itisapresentperfecting,asatisfactionintheirremediable
povertyoflife.
Poetryisthescholar'sart.
***
Tostudyandtounderstandthefictiveworldisthefunctionofthe
poet.
***
Godisasymbolforsomethingthatcanaswelltakeotherforms,as,
forexample,theformofhighpoetry.
ThetimewillcomewhenpoemslikeParadisewillseemverytriste
contraptions.
***
Realityisavacuum.
Allmenaremurderers.
Thewordmustbethethingitrepresentsotherwise,itisasymbol.It
isaquestionofidentity.
***
Indramaticpoetrytheimaginationattachesitselftoaheightened
reality.
***
Theremustbesomethingofthepeasantineverypoet.
***
Thepoetisthepriestoftheinvisible.
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***
Metaphorcreatesanewrealityfromwhichtheoriginalappearstobe
unreal.
***
Romanticismistopoetrywhatthedecorativeistopainting.
***
Apoemisacafe.(Restoration.)
Poetsacquirehumility.
Thoughttendstocollectinpools.
***
Lifeisnotfreefromitsforms.
***
Wehavemadetoomuchoflife.Ajournaloflifeisrarelyajournalof
happiness.
***
Poetrysometimescrownsthesearchforhappiness.Itisitselfa
searchforhappiness.
***
Esthetiqueisthemeasureofacivilizationnotthesolemeasure,but
ameasure.
Poetrymustresisttheintelligencealmostsuccessfully.
Theromanticexistsinprecisionaswellasinimprecision.
***
Achangeofstyleisachangeofsubject.
***
Theromanticisthefirstphaseof(anonpejorative)lunacy.
***
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Poetics,stolen:From"Adagia"WallaceStevens

Thepoetisagod,or,theyoungpoetisagod.Theoldpoetisatramp.
***
Ihavenolifeexceptinpoetry.Nodoubtthatwouldbetrueifmy
wholelifewasfreeforpoetry.
***
NothingcouldbemoreinappropriatetoAmericanliteraturethanits
EnglishsourcesincetheAmericansarenotBritishinsensibility.
***
FrenchandEnglishconstituteasinglelanguage.
***
Themomentumofthemindisalltowardabstraction.
***
Inthelongrunthetruthdoesnotmatter.

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