“Like priests in a town of agnostics, [poets] still command a certain residual prestige.”
The main problem I have with Gioia’s classic 1991 indictment of the health of the art, and all its subsequent aftershocks, is that this view of poetry still comes from within the tribe. Gioia blames the cushy life afforded by academia as well as tit-for-tat publishing and reviewing practices as the primary killers of poetry’s public appeal. But his article does not take into account other forces outside the scope of contemporary poetry and, owing to this fault, seems more inflammatory than revolutionary–adding another loud gripe, in fact, to the endless squabbling among poets.
Art has always required its benefactor. Were it not for the Catholic church, for example, we would not have painting as we know it today. The church employed countless artists and kept them (and their art) alive. Poetry has never been practical, and the fact that it has now drawn inward to thrive primarily at the university level–like a tree pulling in its sap toward the trunk during a freeze–only leads me to be grateful that there is, in fact, some refuge for the impractical-but-necessary–for art–in our world. Universities are killing poetry? More like providing the last bastion to save it.
While Gioia admits that other art forms have suffered, he does not venture outside of the world poets occupy to hazard a guess as to why. Poetry has gone the same route as classical music, and from what Valerie tells me, their debates about “accessibility and difficulty,” among other topics that baffle non-artists as exceedingly trivial, seem to run along parallel lines. A lot of contemporary classical music, like contemporary poetry, has indeed become little more than an academic exercise.
That said, the relationship between university and audience strikes me as a bit chicken-and-egg. Gioia argues poetry has become seemingly irrelevant to non-poets’ lives because academia has coddled them in doing so. I would argue the other side–that poets (and classical composers) have retreated into avant garde cliques because they have been ostracized from mainstream culture and, like the weird kid we all knew in school, are somehow managing to take perverse pleasure in this situation–and even pride.
But why have poets been ousted from the culture? By far the simplest way to examine why poetry, like classical music, has been on the slide since the ’40s is to take a look at what has taken its place. Enter television. Enter pop music. Enter video games and the internet. Popular culture has superseded intellectual culture more and more in the past sixty years. Since the age of automation, being cultured, literary or musically astute is less of a means to upward mobility than ever before. People respect actors far more than poets, rock stars far more than great violinists. And with the advent of reality television, American Idol and social networking, people are, more than ever, simply becoming famous for their fame.
Poets like to pretend that the decline of poetry is their fault, because if that were entirely true, then it would be entirely within their power to revive it as a major cultural force. While it is true that acting like the weird kid hasn’t helped poetry, there are much larger forces at work than even the off-putting avant garde and its main backer, academia. Even really great poetry has a hard time standing up to the video-game-like attention span of the most recent generation. And even thinking people in my own generation are much more likely to listen to popular music or see a film when they want stimulation–than to open a book of poems.
Mass media has altered our sensitivity to language, making us far more likely to seek entertainment (or “edutainment” at best) delivered through a rich multimedia experience–than to sit down and just read a poem on the page. It is high time we faced up to this reality. Because in doing so, we can stop squabbling and pointing fingers at each other, and get back to promoting poetry the only way it can continue to succeed–from one person to another, showing, sharing and explaining why we love this particular form.
Neither do we have to garner large “market share” nor revel in our marginalization. Read, write and share with those who get it. And give the rest a chance. Gioia’s six-point call to action is good advice. Just don’t expect the ground to shake. It is, after all, poetry–a hope for all humanity, but only as humans declare it so.
10 Comments
Dana’s argument still holds a little merit, but much has changed since 1991. There is still that bastion of academia, but the rise of spoken word (some call it slam poetry) artists, more venues to perform and micro-publishing has assured that poetry — in all its myriad forms — will survive.
Hey Robert, I really appreciated this insightful post. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Hi Greg, thanks for your comment. As you know, blogging can sometimes feel like hurling your thoughts down a well. So, thanks for taking the time to let me know you got something out of this.
Hey Collin, thanks for stopping by.
It seems to me that many of the aspects Gioia points out seem to still be alive in the 21st century. And Gioia would likely characterize micropublishing as more tit-for-tat that dilutes popular appeal and insulates poets (and their microcommunities) from the general public. So, I’m not sure things have gotten “better” to Gioia’s worldview as presented in this essay. But I’m also not convinced such a worldview is large enough.
I was just reading Czeslaw Milosz yesterday, writing about how in Poland, first occupied by the Nazis and then the Soviets, poetry thrived as a necessary force. Likewise Val often notes how Poland is devoutly Catholic, whereas in France where the Communist anti-religion regimes were not in place, there is a lot of, well, ennui toward religion in general. Obviously both countries have more complex relationships to religion and literature than just to say they crave what is forbidden. But it seems to me that, historically, people turn to poetry, like spirituality, when they need it – and any arguments about why people are or are not reading poetry have to necessarily take into account the natural historical waxing and waning of this particular form.
Gioia was appointed head of the NEA by Bush, and so clearly believes in the need for benefactors to bolster art. I just don’t think pointing fingers at academia gets us anywhere given there are much larger forces at work determining whether or not our culture embraces poetry. That doesn’t mean give up on any of the tactics. It just means as much as we put it out there, poetry will only thrive as people will it so. If those people are academics, or micropublishers, so be it. And if Gioia can make poetry the next big thing more power to him. Or maybe it takes someone with broad popular appeal – you know, like the Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere.
I did not experience poetry as fun until I was way out of school.
I wonder how many teachers have experienced poetry as fun.
If teachers do not enjoy poetry how can they pass on enthusiasm or joy for the art form?
I agree, Paul. Teachers are often first contact and most lasting impression. And how many teachers dare venture to teach contemporary poetry – even at the undergraduate level?
I found your reaction to Gioia’s article interesting, and I pretty well feel I’ve met a like mind. I myself published a lengthy article on the reaction over the last 15 years to Gioia’s article, in the most recent issue of the Rock Salt Plum Review. (Link can be found on my blog, under “BC Links”). I’m glad to have come across your blog, and will be bookmarking it soon.
Thanks, Brian. Given Gioia’s article has been dragged out every year for the past fifteen, a focused review of the various responses seems highly appropriate – especially in light of Gioia’s appointment to the NEA. I assume this is the one:
http://tinyurl.com/3y95qx
On the topic of likemindedness, I find time and again that the poets and critics with whom I feel generally sympatico invariably end up being Canadian. I am enjoying studying in the Pacific Northwest in part for the unpretentious atmosphere. Perhaps that trend follows latitude?
In any case, thanks for your kind words, and I look forward to hearing more from you – here, there and everywhere.
Poetry and poverty
They look the same to me
The difference rests solely on
The placement of tv
Hi Robert,
I’m not a poet or an academic, but I do enjoy poetry and write a little now and then to help me process my own thoughts. I found your site in a search for technical details of sonnet forms–just playing around. My elementary school kids think it’s cool that I play around with poetry. Just trying to do my part to pass on a love of well-strung words to the next generation.
Thanks for maintaining this site. Even someone like me can learn a lot here.
Oh, and the above little ditty just popped into my head as I finished reading this post. From me to you.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Sherry. Notes like yours are a real boost.