Paper #2: Thoughts on Michael Craig, Postmodernist Poetry, and "Accessibility" Without Directing the Reader

James F. Lewis
ENGL 550
February 27, 2007
Paper #2: Michael Craig, postmodernist poetry, and thoughts on “accessibility” without directing the reader.

Thoughts on Michael Craig, Postmodernist Poetry, and “Accessibility" Without Directing the Reader

Something that particularly struck me in our analyses of poems in last week’s class is how most of us so consciously directed the meaning of our poems and, so, unconsciously wrote poetry that is decidedly note “postmodern.” How is this? The answer involves gaining, first, a heightened degree of exactly what postmodernist theory and art entails: namely a certain ambiguity, but not really an ambiguity, as it is not a matter of writing to befuddle, but writing in such a manner as to foster a postmodernist reaction to the poem, that is, the inevitability of their being multiple interpretations of the work evolving through the interaction of author, text, and reader.
And so, I found Greg’s emphasis, however subtle, upon writing our poetry in such a way that doesn’t direct the meaning (which, interestingly, many of us are want to spit out to the class at the first opportunity) but, rather, to foster possibilities of meaning. I would imagine that Greg is not trying to “teach” us to write in this fashion, as if such an approach is the “right” way to write but, rather, to help us gain awareness, as poets, of what we are doing and its affects. You might say fostering the development of our self-awareness as poets. Anyhow, I found our propensity towards directing our reader striking and, concomitantly, the ideas of creating poetry that is accessible yet written in such a way as to generate more possibility for a greater variety of reader experiences and interpretations exciting.
Curiously, I found Craig to be more directive in his approach than say, Billy Collins. Sure, he left open possibilities for interpretation and meaning, but there seems to be a more ego generated aspect to Craig’s poetry, and the reader can feel the poets own issues and concerns egging him on to write. Which raises an interesting area to look at in poetry, namely, how much of it is ego generated as opposed to being inspired by larger concerns centered outside the ego, so called “self-less” concerns, if such a thing can really be considered to exist. I would add, however, that the directive style of writing poetry can be equally applicable to either ego or super-ego generated poetry. In any case, what I’m primarily interested in gaining here is more awareness of what I’m both doing as a poet when I write a poem and what, consciously or unconsciously, a poet may be engaged in when writing verse.
Just as aside, when considering contemporary poetry, confessional work, and egoism, it is worth noting how problems experienced with the self tend to make one, especially once awareness of these problems has developed, more egotistical, a state of being which clearly reflects itself in confessional poetry and all such poetry that works to expel our dragons or in some way assist our self in coping with life. An excellent case in point is the work of poets suffering severe depression; it seems all they can offer in their poetry is a corpus of dark, moody, verse that is, at times, nothing more than a vehicle for the purging of their disturbed psyche.
Is poetry is healer in this regard, for poet and reader alike? Sure. It certainly can be. But, is it the case in the contemporary era–perhaps indicative of our age and the vast amounts of clinical anxiety and depression that is part and parcel of it–that such verse abounds and, for this reader anyway, has become cliché. Save your morbid musing for your therapist, or, possibly, let’s create a healthier society by spilling out our bile amongst family, friends, and colleagues, behavior that is sure to make us all feel better and take some stress off our beleaguered egos. Then, maybe, we can explore some other possibilities in poetry, allow our verse to open up new ways of experiencing and seeing through feeling and the psyche. Finally healing, where are the possibilities for poetry? What can we capture or open up with the art in a post-contemporary period?