really long poems... s/d

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Inspired by the Cantos thread: Since no one seems especially fond of the Cantos, I'm wondering if there are any other long poems that people love or hate, from The Faerie Queen to "A" and beyond...

― Chris P (Chris P), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually that makes it sound like I'm only interested in poems written in English. If people really feel the need to defend or smackdown Homer then why the heck not? Go for it.

― Chris P (Chris P), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Search: Une Saison En Enfer

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:50 (twenty-three years ago)

search: a season in hell

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 11 January 2003 03:52 (twenty-three years ago)

that's what I just said!

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:10 (twenty-three years ago)

: )

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Beowulf.

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Search: Paul Muldoon's "Madoc: A Mystery." And do Berryman's "Dream Songs" count?

― Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Not two hours ago I was reading Robert Graves slagging long poems backwards and forwards. I tend to think he's right. His point is that you can't sustain poetic inspiration at great length and if it isn't inspired you might as well slip back to prose. If I were thinking of attempting a long work using poetry, I think I'd use a mixed prose/poetry model, kind of like Basho's Narrow Road to the Deep North.

If I had to name a long poem in English that really works for me, I'd have to reach back Beowulf.

― Aimless, Saturday, 11 January 2003 04:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Douglas: I haven't read the Dream Songs, but from what I know of them, yes they would count.

Aimless: Except that I think there's something different between, say, a sonnet and the Maximus poems. There are some longer poems that start out really great in the way we often admire short poems but eventually fizzle, and those are disappointing (I'm thinking Don Juan or even Paradise Lost here) but I suspect long poems, or at least the post-Cantos long poems, seek out a different sort of appreciation than short poems or prose.

Search: In recent years, Ron Silliman's Alphabet and Kenneth Goldsmith's No. 111.

― Chris P (Chris P), Saturday, 11 January 2003 05:20 (twenty-three years ago)

I am reading a book of haiku at present. That's long enough for me.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 11 January 2003 11:57 (twenty-three years ago)

im fond of the cantos, or at least 2/3rds of it
also jonestown and i do like the fairy queen

― anthony easton (anthony), Saturday, 11 January 2003 19:06 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

not thiung

― mohamad abdi, Monday, 29 March 2004 10:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Thiung's pretty underrated these days, but I think it's worth at least a decent attempt at a read.

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Monday, 29 March 2004 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris, you should come over to ILB some time.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 29 March 2004 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

He's there already, but as Casuistry innit?

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 29 March 2004 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

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