Purposes and poetry

Keith Gunderson

pp. 203-224

in: Donald Gustafson, Bangs Tapscott (eds), Body, mind, and method, Deventer, Kluwer, 1979

Abstract

Rather like Mt. Everest, seeming to be there in order to be climbed, poetry seems to be, when and wherever it is, in order to be heard or read. But rather unlike Everest whose being there isn't the fault of any of us, poetry is, when and wherever it is, only because of us. So if it has faults, they are attributable to us, whereas the faults of Everest belong to it alone.