Maryann,
Perhaps I’m atypical, but I’ve never felt insulted by the presence of notes. If it turns out that I already understand the passage, then reading its corresponding note gives me the additional pleasure of feeling superior to the anticipated audience. If the passage baffles me, then I’m glad to have a handy reference.
Of course, you could make a list of all the bits you’re considering endnotes for, then Google them. If a section’s potential obscurity is clarified by said oracle, you could dispense with the note. Folks who don’t have access to a search engine at home can often access one at the local library. However, many genuine poetry lovers—especially the older ones—are not computer literate, I suspect, so you’d have to decide whether you want to exclude them. Poetry books sell slowly enough as it is, so you may not want to risk alienating anyone who seriously appreciates verse.
Anything with non-Germanic, non-Romance letters, you can’t easily Google. Yes, I had to learn the Greek alphabet in college, and when I sound out a Greek word, it’ll sometimes suggest a root that I recognize as being from Greek, thus enabling me to reasonably guess at meaning of the text. But what a tedious process! (I’ve been reading a lot of MacNeice lately, and I sure wish he or an editor had included translations of his Greek phrases in the edition I have.) And Chinese, Arabic, etc. bamboozle me without notes, companion volume, or gloss.
I wonder whether it makes a difference how many books you’ve already had published. I mean, to an editor judging whether to publish your manuscript. It could be that many such editors consider it presumptuous for a first-time author (no matter how many magazine or chapbook credits you’ve had) to “show off” with endnotes. I have no clue about that.
Mark
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Threaded Mode
