tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240644061856477532.post6089929513078129653..comments2023-05-20T05:23:18.283-04:00Comments on Clifford Swartz: Barred OwlClifford Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656909559762991833noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240644061856477532.post-88270006764981163932009-02-13T11:23:00.000-05:002009-02-13T11:23:00.000-05:00Hey, I think my reply was too snappy. Sorry about...Hey, I think my reply was too snappy. Sorry about that and thanks again for your thoughtful comment.Clifford Swartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07656909559762991833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240644061856477532.post-16202523121411269922009-02-06T13:46:00.000-05:002009-02-06T13:46:00.000-05:00Great comment, thanks!I think that what I wanted t...Great comment, thanks!<BR/><BR/>I think that what I wanted to observe was that both men take the same material, Nature (particularly the natural beauty of New England) and write poems that celebrate the wonder of it.<BR/><BR/>One of them (Frost) writes about his internal life, in the main, and what interactions there are with people are somewhat alienated (e.g., "walls make good neighbors"). The other poet (Wilbur) often takes the beauty of the surroundings into interactions between people. And since both his poetry (one from the 60's on the incarnation) and his description of how religious thoughts affect his poetry in interviews, I think it is right to make the connection.<BR/><BR/>It's not necessary that Frost (as a diest, I think) would write rather more somber poetry than Wilbur, but I note that Wilbur's take on nature as created good but fallen accords with his presentation in poetry.<BR/><BR/>But I'm not a postmodernist, so I allow what the author tells me inform my interpretation.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I love Frost's poetry, and more so because he was my doorway to Wilbur...Clifford Swartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07656909559762991833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240644061856477532.post-35295376801577839622009-02-06T13:04:00.000-05:002009-02-06T13:04:00.000-05:00Tackling a poet's relationship with God vis a vis ...Tackling a poet's relationship with God vis a vis the poetry is always a challenge, says this good postmodern reader. Frost had a difficult life, by any measure, sad, challenging, and burdened. He would have produced more had he not faced so much loss and distress. However, I get great joy from reading his poetry and want to encourage you to take another look more directly at the text. John Timmerman, in his book "Robert Frost: The Ethics of Ambiguity," makes the point that oblique readings (in which I would include readings that incorporate the author or artist's biography), fall into the category where he writes about the irritation readers have with Frost's intricate play of form and language as tantamount to "want[ing] to play tennis with the net down and then talk[ing] about how good the game was." When I examine the work of art, I always have to set aside the speaker/maker and let interpretation be my guide. Frost's poem, as example, "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" is often read as the poet's contemplation of death. But I read it, every single team, as a celebration of winter, as a reveling in the joy of seasons. Just some thoughts for you in suggesting another look at Frost's poetry.Anne Swartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09347235609349096683noreply@blogger.com