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Modern poetry

charlesgray

charlesgray

Member
So this came up due to a reading in my seminar course at my university. I really don’t like Allen Ginsberg especially Howl and a reason I disliked the article we had read for today was because even though this class is about Global cities and what makes a city global the author used a style to make some of their complaints sound like something out of howl and when I brought that up in class everyone else said they loved howl.

So I was wondering what other people feel about Ginsberg, Howl and modern poetry overall? because for the most part I dislike it. Also I’m not sure if this belonged here or in writing.
 
KILL.MAIM.KILL

KILL.MAIM.KILL

Angry Lizard King
Banned
I saw the title and I immediately thought itwas your mating call.

And, given the general nature of furries, I'm sure everyone else who clicks will also think so too.
 
Kumali

Kumali

Lupine-American
Is "Howl" still considered modern poetry? It's been 62 years since it was first published. :)

I'm not a huge fan of Ginsberg but I do like "Howl," and there's no denying its significance in American literature, IMO. My favorite of the "Beat" poets, though, is easily Ferlinghetti, in both English and French. Second would probably be Gary Snyder. (Love his translation of Han Shan's "Cold Mountain Poems.") I like some of Kerouac's haiku and a couple of his novels, especially The Dharma Bums, but I feel like a lot of his stuff hasn't really stood the test of time that well. And I'd like to think that American poetry and literature has evolved at least a little bit in 60 years...

But Simo's the guy here to ask about modern poetry. I'll skulk back into the shadows now. :)
 
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Le Chat Nécro

Le Chat Nécro

most thugged-out dope hoe
i wouldn't necessarily say that ginsberg and that whole scene counts as "modern poetry". it's beat poetry and v different than other forms of poetic literature. like, it's more recent than chaucer but that doesn't make it "modern". i dunno. "modern" just has a v particular flavor in the art world and it feels weird to apply it to these guys.

i do like beat poetry quite a bit. have a nice big book of it in my bedside table. i like the coarseness of it and the way they played with style. it's clear that this was poetry meant to be spoken, that energy behind each line. d..a. levy's cleveland: the rectal eye visions is a fucking trip and a half if you can stomach it to the end.

it's not for everyone though. it can be v polarizing to be sure. ​
 
charlesgray

charlesgray

Member
Le Chat Nécro said:
i wouldn't necessarily say that ginsberg and that whole scene counts as "modern poetry". it's beat poetry and v different than other forms of poetic literature. like, it's more recent than chaucer but that doesn't make it "modern". i dunno. "modern" just has a v particular flavor in the art world and it feels weird to apply it to these guys.

i do like beat poetry quite a bit. have a nice big book of it in my bedside table. i like the coarseness of it and the way they played with style. it's clear that this was poetry meant to be spoken, that energy behind each line. d..a. levy's cleveland: the rectal eye visions is a fucking trip and a half if you can stomach it to the end.

it's not for everyone though. it can be v polarizing to be sure. ​
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Fair point made by both you and Kumali about it not really being modern at this point and in the poetry class I took they still made the entire mid to late 1900’s modern poetry so that is why I used modern although beat would be more appropriate I don’t really dislike Best poetry as a whole because the professor did present so great ones from a few years ago. And I do agree that Howl is significant in American literature but the message seems very generic of the time of it’s writing looking back at it now and I think you are right to call it polarizing because I don’t think I’ve met anyone who was in the middle on Ginsburg.
 
Le Chat Nécro

Le Chat Nécro

most thugged-out dope hoe
charlesgray said:
Fair point made by both you and Kumali about it not really being modern at this point and in the poetry class I took they still made the entire mid to late 1900’s modern poetry so that is why I used modern although beat would be more appropriate I don’t really dislike Best poetry as a whole because the professor did present so great ones from a few years ago. And I do agree that Howl is significant in American literature but the message seems very generic of the time of it’s writing looking back at it now and I think you are right to call it polarizing because I don’t think I’ve met anyone who was in the middle on Ginsburg.
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makes sense that they would lump it with modern poetry in school. i'm just particular about art labels.
it really is you either love it or you hate it. no in between.​
 
charlesgray

charlesgray

Member
Le Chat Nécro said:
makes sense that they would lump it with modern poetry in school. i'm just particular about art labels.
it really is you either love it or you hate it. no in between.​
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True and I think I was getting my definitions of “modern” mixed up I was using the idea of modern art which is like late 1800-around the 1970’s
 
Le Chat Nécro

Le Chat Nécro

most thugged-out dope hoe
charlesgray said:
True and I think I was getting my definitions of “modern” mixed up I was using the idea of modern art which is like late 1800-around the 1970’s
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we are no longer modern. we are both postmodern and remodern and nothing makes sense because art is deliberately confusing so they can be pretentious and exclusionary.
​
 
Le Chat Nécro

Le Chat Nécro

most thugged-out dope hoe
charlesgray said:
I don’t know if truer words have ever been said
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i have a lot of feels about how far up it's own ass the art world is.
which might be a reason i like beat poetry so much. they at least weren't doing it for the prestige.
also, fucking hipsters ruined the concept of hipsters and i will never forgive them for that. ​
 
charlesgray

charlesgray

Member
Le Chat Nécro said:
i have a lot of feels about how far up it's own ass the art world is.
which might be a reason i like beat poetry so much. they at least weren't doing it for the prestige.
also, fucking hipsters ruined the concept of hipsters and i will never forgive them for that. ​
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I’ve never really been into art but I still like to admire it when I see it but also dislike a lot of art. My university has a pretty impressive collection and apparently designed my I.M. Pei but they do have a few of my least favorite piece in it as well.
 
Le Chat Nécro

Le Chat Nécro

most thugged-out dope hoe
charlesgray said:
I’ve never really been into art but I still like to admire it when I see it but also dislike a lot of art. My university has a pretty impressive collection and apparently designed my I.M. Pei but they do have a few of my least favorite piece in it as well.
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my fav piece of university art has definitely been a picture that just says "ARE YOU CRYING?" very threateningly in the econ department.​
 
ItsFleco

ItsFleco

Regrets entering this slippery slope
You mentioned disliking modern poetry, but do you like poetry overall?

I'm personally a decent fan of poetry despite not being too immersed in it. However, I prefer to write poems rather than read them; even then, I probably don't write good ones by any standards. I mainly enjoy trying to insert clever wordplay or use other poetic devices that create a more meaning-dense poem. For the same reason, I enjoy writing rhetoric-loaded speeches - I really enjoy making people feel certain ways just with a little bit of word manipulation (or creating a kind of device scavenger hunt for those who can spot them).

There's definitely the snobby side of art though. That's the primary reason that I'm not into poetry or art. I want to have fun with it - not be mocked for not seeing the inner meaning of a trash can with googly eyes.
 
Skychickens

Skychickens

Late Healer Ferret
Depends on the poetry...Some kinds of form poetry I'm like "great you made a cat out of words describing cats. I see the art in that but I do not see the poetry."
I am a huge fan of found poetry and the kind where you take a bunch of cut out words and make something with that. So.

But I am another person that prefers writing over reading...
 
W

WolfoxeCrevan

Guest
I love all poetry!! I constantly write poetry!
But I’ve never read these guys, I’ll check them out and report back here!
 
charlesgray

charlesgray

Member
ItsFleco said:
You mentioned disliking modern poetry, but do you like poetry overall?
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That is a fair question to ask anyone complaining about specific genres within something. Yeah I tend to enjoy more from the renaissance period some Shakespeare and I love haikus I think that they can be witty and beautiful. My art preference tends to lend more towards classical within any medium though.
 
Simo

Simo

Professional Watermelon Farmer
Ah, I'm quite fond of a range of modern poetry, but it has to hit me, emotionally, without seeing overly sentimental, always a tricky balancing act.

But am very fond of Anne Sexton, Galway Kinnel, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, John Berryman, Theodore Roethke.

Here's one by Berryman, I like:

He also reads very well, look a bit tipsy here. Died by jumping off a bridge, Pulitzer Prize and all...

 
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