"To say a poem is absolute is saying nothing, because an ink blot can be absolute. Yet you put into it what you like. So it becomes totally relative"
- Nicholas Mosley
About this Quote
This quote by Nicholas Mosley speaks with the concept that poetry is subjective and open to interpretation. He suggests that a poem is not outright, as an ink blot can be, due to the fact that it depends on the reader to decide what the poem implies. He suggests that the poem is relative, as it is based upon the reader's own analysis. This concept is further reinforced by the idea that the reader can take into the poem whatever they like, making it a highly individual experience. Mosley's quote highlights the charm of poetry, as it enables readers to discover their own significance in the words. It also speaks to the power of poetry, as it can stimulate different emotions and concepts in different people. Eventually, this quote serves as a suggestion that poetry is a distinct and powerful form of expression that can be interpreted in several ways.
"With the question of the effect of a poem, the topic of investigation shifts from that of textual autonomy to textual reception - to the issue of what we actually look for or find in reading a poem"
"The heart of the matter seems to me to be the direct interaction between one's making a poem in English and a poem in the language that one understands and values. I don't see how you can do it otherwise"
"A revolutionary poem will not tell you who or when to kill, what and when to burn, or even how to theorize. It reminds you... where and when and how you are living and might live, it is a wick of desire"
