Details Abound or "De Tale of Detail"
Hi Everyone,
(Sorry about the title, sort of.)
Yes, in response to Susan’s email, a poem presents the possibility/opportunity for a reader to think and feel, and it can be a real challenge for the poet to incorporate or balance both of these elements. Details are certainly important in both areas, though I think of them as being used to elicit feelings most frequently. Adjectives: a writer’s best friend or worst enemy? I ask because they’re obviously hugely important for our descriptions and our attempts to generate feelings in our readers (“It was a dark and stormy night…” probably has become a cliché because it worked for so long), but they’re easy to overdo.
Maybe part of the reason Ginsberg was successful in replacing “anarchy” with “Arkansas” has to do with the fact that he’s replacing an abstract idea with a concrete noun loaded with meaning. I guess what I’m getting at is that, while I’ve found revising to include detailed adjectives helpful at times, if I can hit on a noun like “Arkansas” that brings additional details or layers of meaning in, then I should be doing a little dance of joy because the chances it’s going to make the reader think AND feel have just skyrocketed. For me, McMullin’s use of Samoan mythology/worldview in combination and juxtaposition with contemporary cultural realities acted in a similar manner. But he also does a rather amazing job with the adjectives at times; he always seems aware of how effective it is to include the senses in a poem, as in the first line of “The Act of Memory in Laguna California”: “Lifting memory and wet planks, the scent of reef moss and story.” And look at what he does with color throughout that poem. All of this really seems to help with characterization, as does the ability to pick a single (two close together max) interesting descriptor or characterizing action for that character, maybe one that “essentializes” them in regard to the greater meaning of the poem. So, I suppose I am a fan of detail in adjective, noun, and verb! If that makes any sense…sounds so clunky to try to describe what has been accomplished so gracefully in a poem, and grammar class obviously permanently warped my brain, so I’ll stop rambling now. Thanks!
Eve
(Sorry about the title, sort of.)
Yes, in response to Susan’s email, a poem presents the possibility/opportunity for a reader to think and feel, and it can be a real challenge for the poet to incorporate or balance both of these elements. Details are certainly important in both areas, though I think of them as being used to elicit feelings most frequently. Adjectives: a writer’s best friend or worst enemy? I ask because they’re obviously hugely important for our descriptions and our attempts to generate feelings in our readers (“It was a dark and stormy night…” probably has become a cliché because it worked for so long), but they’re easy to overdo.
Maybe part of the reason Ginsberg was successful in replacing “anarchy” with “Arkansas” has to do with the fact that he’s replacing an abstract idea with a concrete noun loaded with meaning. I guess what I’m getting at is that, while I’ve found revising to include detailed adjectives helpful at times, if I can hit on a noun like “Arkansas” that brings additional details or layers of meaning in, then I should be doing a little dance of joy because the chances it’s going to make the reader think AND feel have just skyrocketed. For me, McMullin’s use of Samoan mythology/worldview in combination and juxtaposition with contemporary cultural realities acted in a similar manner. But he also does a rather amazing job with the adjectives at times; he always seems aware of how effective it is to include the senses in a poem, as in the first line of “The Act of Memory in Laguna California”: “Lifting memory and wet planks, the scent of reef moss and story.” And look at what he does with color throughout that poem. All of this really seems to help with characterization, as does the ability to pick a single (two close together max) interesting descriptor or characterizing action for that character, maybe one that “essentializes” them in regard to the greater meaning of the poem. So, I suppose I am a fan of detail in adjective, noun, and verb! If that makes any sense…sounds so clunky to try to describe what has been accomplished so gracefully in a poem, and grammar class obviously permanently warped my brain, so I’ll stop rambling now. Thanks!
Eve
posted by Eve at 12:53 PM
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