"Dealing with poetry is a daunting task, simply because the reason one does it as an editor at all is because one is constantly coming to terms with one's own understanding of how to understand the world"
- Peter Davison
About this Quote
In this quote, Peter Davison is expressing the trouble of dealing with poetry. As an editor, one is continuously confronted with the difficulty of analyzing and comprehending the significance behind the words. This can be a daunting task because poetry is frequently available to multiple analyses and can be extremely subjective. However, the reason one handles this task as an editor is because it allows them to continuously grapple with their own understanding of the world. Through examining and modifying poetry, one is forced to face their own beliefs and point of views, ultimately resulting in a deeper understanding of the world around them.
"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"
