07-19-2016, 12:41 PM
If a poem cannot be understood at the lowest layer by anyone, it has failed, in my opinion. If I pass a poem by because I do not understand it well, it does not mean I do not understand it at all. From what is understood, it can be critiqued technically, without a consideration as to what its meaning is. That is, I do not need to know what you're trying to tell me, as long as I know what you are showing me. If I fail to see anything, then yes, I am a blind man encountering another paper. Undoubtedly, it's hard to give useful critique if a poem cannot be understood at all, but that lies more on the language being a mess than the meaning being too obscure.
If I may nitpick at my own words here, I do not believe meaning is necessary to critique, but I believe it is certainly helpful. If your poem tells a lot of stuff, has a lot of words, and means a lot of things as a result, I can still critique its mechanics, give opinions on the devices used, and in the end, it is up to the writer to decide if the opinions are of any worth or if they fail to see his obvious mastery of the art.
Should meaning be considered when critiquing? That is an entirely different question than what I was talking about. It lends to more meaningful comments, so yes, by all means it should be. But for me, enjoyment does not hinge on meaning, but more on execution - for lack of a better word.
(On a side note, the porn comments I made were quite literal. It has nothing to do with enjoyment of the reader or observer)
If I may nitpick at my own words here, I do not believe meaning is necessary to critique, but I believe it is certainly helpful. If your poem tells a lot of stuff, has a lot of words, and means a lot of things as a result, I can still critique its mechanics, give opinions on the devices used, and in the end, it is up to the writer to decide if the opinions are of any worth or if they fail to see his obvious mastery of the art.
Should meaning be considered when critiquing? That is an entirely different question than what I was talking about. It lends to more meaningful comments, so yes, by all means it should be. But for me, enjoyment does not hinge on meaning, but more on execution - for lack of a better word.
(On a side note, the porn comments I made were quite literal. It has nothing to do with enjoyment of the reader or observer)
If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
"Or, if a poet writes a poem, then immediately commits suicide (as any decent poet should)..." -- Erthona
"Or, if a poet writes a poem, then immediately commits suicide (as any decent poet should)..." -- Erthona