I’ve been meaning to post here on poetic obscurity and my experiences teaching obscure poetry, but I’m busy, busy. But a Christmas gift (Daniel Tiffany’s Infidel Poetics) prompts me to quickly share here four of my favorite quotes about poetry, which I realized today are all about obscurity:
“Poets are the legislators of the unacknowledged world.” — George Oppen
«For the attempt to approach a reality so often hidden from view cannot be organized in terms of a series of clarifications. We demand the right to obscurity.» (16) Mackey quoting Édouard Glissant from Caribbean Discourse in his book Discrepant Engagement.
«Connections between unconnected things are the unreal reality of Poetry.» (Howe, My Emily Dickinson 97)
“Taking over the means of production involves taking over the meanings of production.“ Robert Duncan, in a letter to Eric Mottram dated 10/5/71
I was reminded of all this today as I selected readings from Jean Toomer for my general education course Major Black Writers, thinking then of students past puzzled, even angry responses to a book (Cane) I find beautiful, dark, and not so obscure because, I believe, I feel a kinship with some of its dark aspects.
