It's hard to argue with a nonspecific assessment that criticisms of poems have been inconsistent and unfair: they sometimes -- perhaps frequently -- are. But poems are not commodities, all exactly the same, and critics have their sharp and blurry days, so I'm not sure how far this observation drives discussion of Lord Byron's Foot; which, although not my favorite poem in all the world, I find very funny, because (or so I feel) it pokes savage fun at the narrator's inappropriate obsession. Your mileage may vary, though: isn't that often the case?
Best,
Ed
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