One Woman's Opinion
One Woman's Opinion
(Posted as a specific explanation, so please ignore references to any one piece.)
Before I give critiques and judgments, I would like to say a few things about the way I judge in general and with sestinas in particular (which I will address in my actual critique/judgment post).
I look at poetry as a personal medium, open to a wide range and variety of acceptance, approval, liking, and opinion. Many critics find themselves locked into a narrow view, based solely on their own preferences and criteria regarding what they see as good poetry. I find this to be a mistake for many reasons.
Poetry, unlike other forms of writing, has a wider diversity of style, form, and expression--often leaving the reader in one of several states. You may show one poem to ten people and receive ten different interpretations or affect resulting in reactions including approval, disapproval, disgust, understanding, perplexity, anger, joy, melancholy, revulsion, etc.
There are two ways to approach an opinion about anything: head (intellectual) or heart (emotional). While we are all affected on an emotional level by anything we read, when it comes to evaluations, I prefer to take a more clinical approach.
While it does matter to me what a poet is trying to say to some degree (especially if I have been given some helpfully insightful explanation), I let the poem speak to me as an individual reader. Who can really know or understand what any given poet is saying? No two people are alike in background, life experience, ideals, spirituality, and other life-molding matters. Matters that will naturally have an impact on what they write and how they write it.
One example I will give of a personal preference in poetic style: capitalization.
I went to the store | I went to the store | I went to the store.
To get apples | to get apples | To get apples.
Because I was | because I was | Because I was.
Hungry. | hungry. | Hungry.
Of course there are many poems that have a universal audience and are clearly understood (we think). There are famous, and accepted as experts, poets whose work is rarely questioned. It may be dissected and explored in various situations but it is rarely accused of being rubbish.
All of that being said, I just wanted to let you know that I base my critiques on technical criteria (and even so am loathe to be harsh regarding any writer's choice of punctuation, grammar, or form unless it is a formal one, unless such things are glaringly unappealing, or unless it is an obvious mistake) more than emotional ones, even though a bit of that may be thrown in based on my own likes and dislikes. Remarks made about a poem may be valid to the writer or not; may validate the intended message, or frustrate the writer by making him feel misunderstood or maligned.
Poetry is more than words on paper. Poetry is a powerful, dynamic, and potentially life-changing experience. If everyone was satisfied by the same styles, content, phraseology, and the like, there would not be so many writers, in any category of writing. Prosody is one thing, enjoyment another.
There is nothing more painful than to be told a poem was "disappointing", "tripe", "unmoving" or any other negative, narrow-sighted opinion. One person's disappointment may be another's applauded surprise. One person's tripe may be another's grateful acknowledgment that there is someone else in the world who relates to a personal circumstance. What may not move me may move you.
Skill and talent are so very much matters of perception, perspective, and are so dependent on a reader's individuality that they defy any concrete evaluation. The most we can hope to achieve is to assist a writer to re-examine his work, think more carefully about such things as word choice, correctness (when dealing with any particular form), structure, and other technicalities, while at the same time encouraging whatever emotional or intellectual message is being conveyed.
Nothing disturbs me more than accusing a poet of omitting details, explanation, or imagery! Fill in the blanks for yourselves! Ohsure, sometimes something has to be said if it's called for, but not in each and every poem read! Some poetry, like prose, may be minimalist. See it for what it is, interpret it as you will, and leave the poor writer free of rude remarks based on that -alone-.
Yes, of course there is the blatantly poor poetry that we all recognize, but even so, the poet may be gently guided to improve, practice, and hone any possible aforementioned skill and talent, whatever his age or experience. Encourage. Do not belittle.
There may be a time and place for brutal opinion, but it must be seen for just that, understood and accepted by both writer and reader, and not used irresponsibly. "I did not like it" is not a valid critique, even when long and tedious reasons are given. If you like it, great. If you do not, critique from your head. Be honest. Be specific. Be clear. Do not expect your little hand will be held as you read. Dead poets do not do that for you, and neither should any living ones.
Ohsure, discussion and exchange of ideas are nice. Welcomed. Learned from. But look at the big picture and remember one thing: In the end, only kindness matters. (Jewel)
View User's Journal
Reflections, Reminders, Recallings.
Of no account...
 |
User Comments: [4] [add]
|
falda Community Member 
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Mahayr
Community Member 
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
omnarchy Community Member 
|
|||||||||||||||||
User Comments: [4] [add]
Community Member
(Until I forget about it, in which case, the bond is dead and gone. Until I renew it again.)
Nothing to add but "HELL YEAH!": my complete and utter agreement.