"And how can poetry stand up against its new conditions? Its position is perfectly precarious"
- John C. Ransom
About this Quote
John C. Ransom's quote speaks with the precarious position of poetry in the contemporary world. In a time of rapid technological advancement and altering social standards, poetry is struggling to remain relevant. It is no longer the dominant type of expression it when was, and its place in the general public awareness doubts. Poetry is often seen as out-of-date and out of touch, and its practitioners are frequently seen as elitist and detached from the truths of daily life. The quote suggests that poetry needs to find a method to adjust to its brand-new conditions in order to stay appropriate and significant. It must find a way to speak to the modern world in such a way that resonates with people and talks to their experiences. Poetry must discover a way to remain relevant and significant in a world that is continuously altering and progressing.
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
"Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry"
"The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs"
"A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel"
