Self and Sensibility in Contemporary American Poetry is an inquiry
into the cultural roles lyric poetry does and can play in our age.
Charles Altieri first establishes a dominant mode in 'serious'
American poetry by identifying current assumptions inherent in the
teaching of creative writing and the awarding of prizes and
contracts. The dominant mode is seen not as a prescribed style but
as a set of styles that share assumptions and that tend to seek the
same narrow audience. Altieri views this mode as essentially
scenic, presenting in brief dramatic settings subdued, carefully
wrought emotions that build to a climactic tactile image. In
examining why the style appeals, the author suggests that we find
in the dominant mode models of the self, of the power of language,
and of the nature of emotions that are very close to the prudential
narcissism of the professional classes. Two theses follow: that
contemporary poetry can be approached as a paradigm for analysing
literature in cultural terms (since we know the culture well on
independent grounds); and that the cultural analogies help
demonstrate the pressures on younger poets to explore styles that
break from or attempt to overthrow the dominant mode.
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