Poetry and the Masses

[Leanne]

Criticism need not subscribe to the tenets of modernity. Those are long dead. Similarly, we have moved on from structuralism, post-structuralism, formalism, aestheticism, etc. Any "ism" becomes its own tomb eventually. Being "avant garde" is just another label -- the idea that there was no change to poetry before Pound and his cronies is erroneous. There have been revolutionary ideas throughout history or poetry would have ceased its relevance long ago -- it's just that prior to Imagism, none of them really involved the USA to any great extent and so naturally, it becomes privileged in American institutions. There were many English and American poets involved in Dada as well -- a movement whose very essence was change -- but of course labelling Dada kills it. I feel much the same about any poetry.