Flight of the Unwinged, Part 2: The Misuse of Poetry

Continuing from where I left off yesterday (and, for those who may have read that post before, as soon as I finish this post I'm going to edit something in there), I want to think about Carlyle's comments as it relates to creative writing, especially poetry. Here is the essence of what Carlyle wrote.

- "Poetry" is a most suspicious affair for me at present!
- as if, when the lines had a jingle in them, a Nothing could be Something, and the point were gained!
- Let a man try to the very uttermost to speak what he means, before singing is had recourse to.
- "No, we cannot stand, or walk, or do any good whatever there; by God's blessing, we will fly...."

By jingle I believe Carlyle refers to rhyme and meter. By "speak" and "singing" I believe he refers to the difference between prose and verse/poetry. Many people prefer to distinguish verse from poetry, with poetry being the greater writing. I've never done that, for to my way of thinking this is just bad/fair poetry and good/great poetry. It would seem to be semantics. I think Carlyle, by using the word "jingle", means bad poetry, or verse. He is saying too many people who write poetry are writing bad poetry, with rhyme and meter (making it like a jingle) being the dominant or only devices to distinguish it from prose. Prose is the equivalent of speaking; [good/great] poetry in contrast is singing. But so many poets try singing before they can speak, try flying before they can stand, walk, or do any good whatever.

Poetry is the most difficult type of creative writing, its demands for excellence far exceeding those of prose. Yet so many people write poetry because they think it is easier. In cummings-esque style, they think ignoring punctuation, ignoring grammar, seemingling breaking lines at random, and not making sense is what poetry is made of.

Carlyle would disagree; I would too. Of course, I've been convince that more bad poetry is being written these days than ever before (some of it by me), but maybe that's not the case. Carlyle seems to think most of what he saw was bad. Maybe it's just easier to find it now. And maybe most of that slush-thaw poetry from the 1840s has simply disappeared, as much of what is written today will not be found 170 years from now.