My initial response to e-poetry based on the pieces assigned so far is easily summed up in a single yet poignant word: distaste. This may seem like a harsh word to use when describing any form of art, but I personally believe it to be the most fitting description of my thoughts towards e-poetry. Over the course of my entire life, I have enjoyed reading all sorts of poetry by various authors. Whether it be the medieval revelry of Chaucer, the melancholy sadness of Sylvia Plath, or the cleverly interwoven nationalism of Robert Burns, I have read and enjoyed much poetry.
However, I am what one might call old-fashioned. To use the example of art as it is represented in visual media (paintings, sculptures, etc...) what is today referred to as "modern" art does not impress me and in fact suggests to me a certain inability for such "artists" to in actual fact create something of artistic value. In the same way, I find that e-poetry is the attempt of individuals to modernize what is better left to pen and paper.
The pieces which have been assigned so far are not bad poems in and of themselves; I just find myself unable to enjoy or understand them as I would were they written on paper. Perhaps this will not always be the case. Perhaps I may one day grow to enjoy electronic literature. As for now, I am of the opinion that it is a waste of time and energy, both on the part of the writer and the reader.
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It's always good to have one or two dissenters in class to keep us on our toes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I urge you to keep an open mind and (although the pairing of text and e-poem encouraged comparison) try to consider e-lit as a very different animal than print literature. That is, be open to the ways in which it makes meaning that do not have a direct parallel in print. Much e-lit doesn't even try to emulate print, so it doesn't always make sense to approach it with print-based expectations.