Comments on: Breaking The Page Barrier http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/breaking-the-page-barrier/ Reflections of a working writer and reader Sat, 19 May 2012 08:23:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Robert http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/breaking-the-page-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-108670 Robert Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:09:59 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=1165#comment-108670 I can certainly empathize with Jim M. on this. But Poets like Marvin Bell, Li-Young Lee, David St. John, and, of course, the epic poets of yesteryear have convinced me there can be merit to raising the stakes, as it were, through pushing past one conclusion and, often, into even more interesting territory. I suppose that is a simplistic, tactical way of looking at the idea of negative capability. <strong>jb says</strong>: Hi Robert. Good to see you here. As a novelist I don't normally have this kind of problem, except in as much as publishers love following trends and fashions (for many of them, it's the only thing they know how to do) and when it's fashionable to publish blockbusters, as it is from time to time, they might suggest welding two short novels together. Oh, how I wish that was a joke. I can certainly empathize with Jim M. on this. But Poets like Marvin Bell, Li-Young Lee, David St. John, and, of course, the epic poets of yesteryear have convinced me there can be merit to raising the stakes, as it were, through pushing past one conclusion and, often, into even more interesting territory. I suppose that is a simplistic, tactical way of looking at the idea of negative capability.

jb says: Hi Robert. Good to see you here. As a novelist I don’t normally have this kind of problem, except in as much as publishers love following trends and fashions (for many of them, it’s the only thing they know how to do) and when it’s fashionable to publish blockbusters, as it is from time to time, they might suggest welding two short novels together. Oh, how I wish that was a joke.

]]> By: Jim Murdoch http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/breaking-the-page-barrier/comment-page-1/#comment-108656 Jim Murdoch Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:45:01 +0000 http://johnbakersblog.co.uk/?p=1165#comment-108656 Epics like 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' aside I've never been able to get into longer poems and I've certainly never been able to write them. I've not written a poem longer than a page since I was seventeen and most of them are lucky if they hit ten lines. I like poetry that gets to the point and I know a long poem is an experience, a journey but I usually start asking, "Are we there yet?" by the start of the second stanza. Actually that's not true, just the thought of having to read a long poem has me nodding off. <strong>jb says</strong>: Interesting, Jim. I'm sure that that is most people's experience. But I was interested in Robert Peake's recognition of a personal "tendency to want to end a poem after delivering a few good lines, to “look ahead” to the conclusion and shape the direction toward that end." Also that there may well be more to be said in a poem if that tendency is overcome from time to time. Epics like ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ aside I’ve never been able to get into longer poems and I’ve certainly never been able to write them. I’ve not written a poem longer than a page since I was seventeen and most of them are lucky if they hit ten lines. I like poetry that gets to the point and I know a long poem is an experience, a journey but I usually start asking, “Are we there yet?” by the start of the second stanza. Actually that’s not true, just the thought of having to read a long poem has me nodding off.

jb says: Interesting, Jim. I’m sure that that is most people’s experience. But I was interested in Robert Peake’s recognition of a personal “tendency to want to end a poem after delivering a few good lines, to “look ahead” to the conclusion and shape the direction toward that end.”
Also that there may well be more to be said in a poem if that tendency is overcome from time to time.

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