Author Spotlight
Critics on Criticism: William Carlos Williams
What follows are excerpts from a kind of (scathing) review of a (scathing) review. WCW’s essay, called “A Point for American Criticism,” is directed at Rebecca West, who had published some comments on Ulysses that WCW found wanting in every respect. Sometimes he says “they,” presumably meaning West and her critical cohort. So, from his red wheelbarrow full of glorious vitriol:
Forward is the new. It will not be blamed. It will not force itself into what amounts to paralyzing restrictions. It cannot be correct. It hasn’t time. ….
Comment if you like on Joyce’s narcissism but what in the world has it to do with him as a writer? Of course it has, as far as prestige is concerned, but not as to writing….But the expedient is convenient if we want to gain a spurious (psychologic, not literary) advantage for temporal purposes.
What Joyce is saying is a literary thing. It is a literary value he is forwarding. He is a writer. Will this never be understood? ….
The thing is, they want to stay safe, they do not want to give up something, so they enlist psychology to save them. But under it they miss the clear, actually the miraculous, benefits of literature itself. A silent flower opening out of the dung they dote on. They miss Joyce blossoming pure white above their heads. ….
She speaks of transcendental tosh, of Freud, of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, of anything that comes into her head, but she has not yet learned–though she professes to know the difference between art and life–the sentimental and nonsentimental–that writing is made of words. ….
Here Joyce has so far outstripped the criticism of Rebecca West that she seems a pervert.
Tags: criticism, James Joyce, rebecca west, william carlos williams
OHH SNAP!
OHH SNAP!
poets are self-aware narcissists, critics are self-blind (self-deaf) narcissists
lol @ williams’ innovation fever in opening parag.
poets are self-aware narcissists, critics are self-blind (self-deaf) narcissists
lol @ williams’ innovation fever in opening parag.
Amen.
Amen.
meant to put a question mark after deaf
meant to put a question mark after deaf
i don’t know, i’m with williams here..talking about narcissism just seems totally beside the point
i don’t know, i’m with williams here..talking about narcissism just seems totally beside the point
im with williams too
im with williams too
i’m with frank
i’m with frank
i should have put a picture of you in a red wheelbarrow
i should have put a picture of you in a red wheelbarrow
WCW is very right here
WCW is very right here
Admittedly, I think WCW was also a little pissed that critics were ignoring his poetry and that he had to resort to using Ezra Pound for a pen pal.
But he’s still right.
Admittedly, I think WCW was also a little pissed that critics were ignoring his poetry and that he had to resort to using Ezra Pound for a pen pal.
But he’s still right.