[Duncan Gillies MacLaurin]

Ian McEwan often used to get Craig Raine to read through his novels prior to publication. If Raine found a cliché, he would underline it and write "flf" in the margin, short for "flickering log fire", a reference to the first instance of cliché Raine found in McEwan's writing. (Source: here.)

Raine is the founder and editor of Areté, and in the latest issue he has directed his cliché radar on "The Poetry of Edward Thomas".

There was a link to it on The Page today.

Quite a broadside by the end.

Duncan

[Duncan Gillies MacLaurin]

I can add that this is the piece Gerry Cambridge discusses in his editorial for the latest issue of The Dark Horse, where he chides the Prof for a transcription error. Don't be fooled by Gerry defending Raine on the gounds that "even" would have been a better choice of word than "ever". He's being ironical.

Duncan

[Gregory Dowling]

I've been meaning to come back to this, Duncan. I think Raine was rather harsh on Thomas. Obviously not all his poems are on the same level but his best ones are very fine. I'll wait till I've seen Gerry Cambridge's article and come back to this.

Craig Raine was one of my tutors at Oxford, and was an excellent teacher, I have to say. He certainly did have a good eye for bs and flfs.

[ross hamilton hill]

Only read the poem, had enough academic writing to last me a lifetime, I thought the poem 'Adlestrop' very precious, I want to shake it so all the timid words fall out and blow away. That said it does sound good, but really this sort of poetry herds poets into Wimpsville and I don't want to live there.