Dispatches from the Poetry Front

[larryhammer]

The promised report on The Worst English Poets: Oh yes, they are. Or at least, the worst of 19th century, for that seems to be the focus. There's not a single poem I look at and think, "This isn't bad enough to be here."

Most startling omission: There's no listing of poets, as you might expect given the title. The table of contents just lists the thematic sections, and the index isn't.

Most startling fact learned: While McGonagall's shaky grasp of prosody is all-but-unique, he had many models for his manner and matter, and even his tone. The Victorians published that stuff by the metric cartload, it seems. I did more than one doubletake: "Wait, this sounds Just Like McGonagall -- but the meter scans! -- and the syntax isn't tortured to reach for that banal rhyme! But! -- but! -- does not compute! -- does not compute!"

Best unintentionally funny line: My friend, be firm, let not thy manhood shake

Best ending selection evah for an anthology:

"OH, SHUT THE BOOK, dear Ellen, shut the book!"
HUBERT exclaim'd, with wild and frantic look.

Biggest unanswerable question: Was this copy permeated with marijuana smoke from an attempt to ease the pain of reading it or to up the hilarity?

Edit to add citations: the first quote's from A Elegy on Colonel Robert Montgomery. Written on the Fatal Spot where the Lamentable Duel Transpired by S. L. Francis; the second's from Ellen Gray, or The Dead Maiden's Curse by Archibald Macleod.

---L.

Comments

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

<3333333!!!

[larryhammer]

Yeah, it is a pretty funny line.

---L.