tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post4743291970764837519..comments2024-02-05T00:16:13.698-05:00Comments on Banjo52: Sex, Literary Criticism, William Logan and Sharon Olds, Part TwoBanjo52http://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-22152078321876883772011-06-07T14:48:52.497-04:002011-06-07T14:48:52.497-04:00PA, you're at least partially responsible (and...PA, you're at least partially responsible (and get partial credit) for the June 7 post.Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-33272427979672513862011-06-07T11:01:58.010-04:002011-06-07T11:01:58.010-04:00PA, you offer good food for thought. Hyperbole and...PA, you offer good food for thought. Hyperbole and bullying are certainly seem to flourish in reviewing, and judging the judges is an activity we should always consider. Logan does offer sufficient examples of Olds' "indulgences." Maybe I should've included some, but as you've discovered, Olds AND Logan are very available online. <br /><br />I too like some of Olds' work, and I see its potential value, as I tried to say in the post. But I wonder if anyone can read five of her poems without understanding what has Logan so bothered. <br /><br />On the flip side, has seen Logan seen all perspectives on Olds, and, what I did not say, does Olds deserve the intensity Logan offers, even if we tend to agree with him? If you are Sharon Olds, can you just shake off such venom and keep on writing? Do you choose not to read it? Can you succeed at that, when Logan is the same large voice in criticism that you are in poetry? <br /><br />If you're Logan, can you ignore one of the best-selling, most adored poets and celebrities on the current scene? If your mission is to keep pure poetry afloat (yes, definitions are tricky), recognized and admired, can you afford to be gentle with someone who strikes you as a travesty, a fraud, an insult to your sacred cow? <br /><br />I suppose there's some (or a lot of) commercial, marketing interest in all the above, but for both parties, there are also legitimate questions about an important art form (poetry), professional integrity and courage, and the profile of our culture over the last thirty years or so.<br /><br />I do hope I've caused a few people to read (or re-read) some Sharon Olds AND some William Logan . . . . It's hard not to have an opinion, and I think I have two.<br /><br />As for the lighter side, no biological humor was intended, but if it's there, that's OK. And I did, yes, wonder what kind of fish--wondered for about four seconds.Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-31340776774285650652011-06-06T19:26:40.133-04:002011-06-06T19:26:40.133-04:00Don't critics in their own way push hyperbolic...Don't critics in their own way push hyperbolic language, bully and cajole as part of their personal style? Without examples of Oats overly worked "indulgences" the judgment actually starts to fall on the judges. I found this link to <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/images/video/olds_video.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/olds.html&h=222&w=390&sz=32&tbnid=RShK1VlBN5VgKM:&tbnh=70&tbnw=123&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsharon%2Bolds%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=sharon+olds&usg=__GVjf0o5lNHDweknRuxfPoXwtxsc=&sa=X&ei=413tTen6M8nkiAKtopjhCA&ved=0CEIQ9QEwCA" rel="nofollow">her poetry.</a> There are people that can relate to this work. I do<br /><br />Is the fish a tongue in cheek reference to a woman who focuses on her nether region?<br /><br />A nice fish, carp maybePasadena Adjacenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09031325790590238246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-30873174507465477982011-06-06T08:02:03.763-04:002011-06-06T08:02:03.763-04:00And old fish is a good fish.And old fish is a good fish.Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-50325594129905348712011-06-04T18:42:08.625-04:002011-06-04T18:42:08.625-04:00Of the three, I know who'd be my dinner compan...Of the three, I know who'd be my dinner companion of choice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-50529419356017364412011-06-04T17:21:09.499-04:002011-06-04T17:21:09.499-04:00I like your fish. Looks like he is up there in yea...I like your fish. Looks like he is up there in years too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com