[R. S. Gwynn]

Here are some of Dana Gioia's students at USC reciting sonnets. None of them is an English major. I find this quite wonderful--such a mixture of faces and voices, including Maddie Callicott and the young woman who recites sideways.

https://uscartofpoetryfall2017.wordpress.com/

[Jennifer Reeser]

Very nice. Thanks for posting this. Though Li's is undoubtedly the easiest on the ears (I tend to favor the "Sensory Deprivation Chamber" approach), my favorite was Hong, who seemed to understand the poem -- a feeling which I wish I had gotten from more of the students -- and he recited it in a very appropriate setting. Form to function, you might say.

The rap version was interesting, though a bit too "hip" for me. For this reason, I absolutely adore Leparulo. What a brave soul, adopting that British accent for his reading! Bless those, who are willing to risk looking like fools for our art.

The sideways presentation -- she was cute. I am not convinced that when Dickinson wrote, "Tell the truth, but tell it slant," that this is what she meant

Student Pakarek, the proper pronunciation is "DA-masked," not "duh-MASKED." It matters, for the sake of meter. "I have seen ROses DAmasked..."

You might want to let Mr. Gioia know, (I have seen him a handful of times at the West Chester conference, but have not spoken with him for years and years), there is a typographical error in the video from Miguel Cervantes. The sonnet he recites is not Shakespeare's Sonnet 16, as captioned, but Sonnet 18 -- "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" rather than "But wherefore do not you a mightier way..." The "bloody tyrant Time" is a far cry from the beauty of a summer's day!

Interesting, too, to discover that Professor Gioia has actual students. For whatever reason, I had imagined his position was more figurehead than filling. Bravo to him. It reinforces my hope in the new generation.

Thanks again.

Jennifer

[R. S. Gwynn]

I am sure that the students will treasure these observations.

[Jennifer Reeser]

They will no doubt more greatly appreciate all the other observations in your thread, Sam.

J

[Eric Mwathi]

Dana Gioia's poetry in general is great. I only wonder how exactly to pronounce his name.

[john savoie]

joy-a .

[Ann Drysdale]

In the spirit of this resurrection of former times (Hello, Eric!) I recall that Dana Gioia slapped my wrist once in a little bistro in Cornwall. He was telling me about the wines of the Napa Valley and I had reached for my glass too soon, before the contents had had time to breathe, stretch and begin to sing.

It was the gentlest of remonstrances, accompanied by a Californian smile that simultaneously kissed it better, but I have never forgotten that first rule of red.

[Mark McDonnell]

That's a beautiful story Ann. I was once told to 'fuck off' by Mark E Smith.

Sorry, what thread is this?

[Jan D. Hodge]

I'm curious about why the final line of #130 is so often misread (and therefore presumably misunderstood), as it is here and was in the finals of the national Poetry Out Loud last year.

The line reads: "Than any she [pause] belied by false compare"
[i.e., than any woman who is belied (lied about) by using false (stale) comparisons]

and not "Than any [pause] she belied [pause] by false compare"
[which presumably would mean that "she" (i.e. his mistress, being the only available antecedent?) told lies about].

Shakespeare is here making gentle fun of the tropes used by "traditional" sonneteers, as a way of praising his mistress's beauty (i.e., I swear that she is more beautiful than all those who are praised by false, conventional tropes).

[john savoie]

You're right, Jan.
The construction is archaic,
and without knowing what it meant then,
people try too hard to make modern sense.