For me, forms are containers. In my humble opinion, a generalized statement about whether villanelles are any good or not is like stating that one hates martini glasses or that one likes martini glasses. Personally, I love sipping icy-cold gin from a martini glass; others may not. The real problem I have is when the host decides they like martini glasses and tries to serve me beer in one. But, I don’t rail against the glass; it’s the host that gets my scorn. And there are many other containers, some of which are more versatile and can be used for a multitude of beverages, including my icy gin. That’s my take on it anyway.
By the way, I’m familiar with some of Cornford’s other work and I always assumed that she was using transference; she was really expressing feelings about herself rather than some unknown woman in a field. She caught hell for it though, and I’m sure it had nothing to do with her being Charles Darwin’s granddaughter. To my knowledge, she never defended her poem with my explanation.
David
[This message has been edited by David Upson (edited November 20, 2006).]
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