Victorian Verse: The Politics of Public Poetry

[ofcatslives]

Had you ever heard of the term, "public poetry" before today's lecture

Comments

[may_posa1]

I had heard the term public poetry, I believe an english teacher refered to Homer's work as such, to be reicted aloud to a large attentive group. I wonder how poets like Emily Dickenson would have felt when her poetry got published (she died before she could have her input on the matter), her own personal thoughts ripped apart for the profit of someone else. Then again if I found a deceased friends work I do not know if I would publish it, I think I would publish parts but not the highly personal, you? This way a person is not forgetton, they are remembered and isn't that what people want??? To die and be remembered by a surviving piece of literature or art or dictatorship...maybe thats taking it a bit far but you know what I mean. Oh by the way can I publish your works????? Do I have dibs on your posts???? *smile*
-Lesley-Anne

[ofcatslives]

Haha, yes, my posts are all yours.

[tricia_stewart]

Wonderful post Janice, I think you've highlighted a really depressing truth about society and how it treats its heroes. For that's what soldiers are, I'm not really sure about the war in Iraq, as I don't know very much about the reasons behind it, but the soldiers who fought in the two World Wars deserve to be treated with respect. Its wrong to have expected them to risk their lives for us and then to turn our backs on them when they succeeded. As you might have guessed I'm on your side on this :) The whole public poetry thing is also interesting in itself :)

-Tricia