Catherine,
You're absolutely right about how rare poetry reviews are and how grateful poets should be for any kind of notice, and Jeremy's review of Robert Crawford's book was highly positive and thoughtful. I was grateful to see the book so extensively reviewed. On balance, I'm glad the piece was published, despite the reservations I somewhat reluctantly noted above. What spurred me to do more than just be happy for Robert and shrug off my qualms was the nature of the criticism. Being charged with "misogyny" is toxic--like having one's poem described as exhibiting a "determined racism," though not as bad. The merest hint of such a thing subjects the author to a sinister and socially disabling type of suspicion. And in this instance, I think the charge was unwarranted.
As a one-time poetry reviewer myself, I know there's a certain pressure to find some fault in even a good book in the interest of honesty and balance. I also know that critics younger than I have been educated to believe that one of the main purposes of literary criticism is to expose the misogyny, racism, and "classism" of authors. I'd just rather save such charges for those who deserve them.
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