A review by tevreads
The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner
4.0
There seems to be a constant heralding of the death of poetry, even a conceited hatred for the supposed pretentiousness of it (I myself have only just started reading poetry outside of the handful I studied back in school, having similar thoughts).
Interestingly, Lerner looks to lamentations of the lack of universality some poetry possesses, the inability to capture hearts and minds like the the great Leaves of Grass, of every atom of me belonging to you. Even so, to say Whitman speaks for "us", including slaves, seems flippant, but a universal voice taken as an ideal proves a worthy exercise. Now, the attempts of poets to strive for an individual voice is hindering the popularity and appreciation of the form. I haven't read much poetry at all, but maybe this 'exclusivity' is one of the reasons I have shied away from it.
Overall, Lerner provides a thought-provoking argument, compelling as seems to be the case with all his writing.
Interestingly, Lerner looks to lamentations of the lack of universality some poetry possesses, the inability to capture hearts and minds like the the great Leaves of Grass, of every atom of me belonging to you. Even so, to say Whitman speaks for "us", including slaves, seems flippant, but a universal voice taken as an ideal proves a worthy exercise. Now, the attempts of poets to strive for an individual voice is hindering the popularity and appreciation of the form. I haven't read much poetry at all, but maybe this 'exclusivity' is one of the reasons I have shied away from it.
Overall, Lerner provides a thought-provoking argument, compelling as seems to be the case with all his writing.