Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Poetic elitism

By Peter Tapsell - posted Wednesday, 9 July 2008


It’s good to know that they are there and that someone is working on expanding the boundaries; but how many of us really want to sit down and wade through them?

Much like many of the various art forms, appealing to the general public is often not considered a laudable aim by critics. It suggests pandering to the accepted rather than challenging conventions. Whether this relates to music, painting, sculpture, movies, or writing, commercial success is often seen as “selling out”. This strangles the art form further, causing it to be seen as the preserve of the intellectual elite. It becomes something remote from the untrained person - where poetry is concerned this is probably at least 95 per cent of the population.

The point is that there is nothing wrong with appealing to the masses. Art in all its forms is there to enrich people’s lives. It isn’t there to confuse, or leave people feeling cold; it needs a reaction, be it positive or negative.

Advertisement

Disinterest means that a piece of art (in this case poetry) has failed. Commercial success, on the other hand, is an indicator that many people enjoyed what was produced, or at least felt they could access it. This is a good thing; it means there was a reaction. People saying how much they dislike something is also a reaction; it means people were interested. Poetry struggles to get the latter reaction now, not many people care enough.

It is not that long ago that people did care. That was when poetry was, among other things, a vehicle for comment on current affairs. A verse that relates to the present, last week, or what might happen tomorrow, has a very good chance of capturing the public’s imagination. It also provides opportunity for satire.

Poems, and other art forms, often provide a more entertaining and long-lasting record of an event than a news article. A deeply personal poem of grief, happiness, or even anger, may also capture the imagination. But if they are to be successful and have a lasting impact, they need to be in a form that allows the wider public to understand them. In the UK, the success of BBC’s series of books The Nation’s Favourite Poems was a prime example of such poems.

This leads me to the inevitable conclusion that there is no such thing as right and wrong where the construction of poetry is concerned. Ignore the howls of protest from the literati, and write what you feel in a way that communicates your an idea, or viewpoint, to a wide spectrum of people.

Feel free to use clichés. Resist the push for ever increasing detail in a poem and let the reader use their imagination. Use abstractions (thoughts) where you like. Despite what critics may say, readers out there will read and enjoy such poems. Leave the hardcore poets and academics to wrangle over the new and challenging forms.

Continue reading the more popular and “lightweight” and topical poetry, and continue to write such poetry, if that is what you enjoy. While it may cause angst to the poetic establishment that their own new forms struggle for acceptance outside their relatively small circle, the “lightweight” and the topical poem provide much more pleasure to many more people. The only way that poetry can regain any real relevance in today’s society is to appeal to a far broader range of people than it currently does.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

4 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Peter Tapsell has worked in universities, the mining industry, and government. He has also carried out some private consultancy work, mostly in areas related to the environment. He enjoys writing prose, verse and music and performing his creations. Peter blogs at I'd rather be at the Beach but ...

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Peter Tapsell

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 4 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy