[Nick McRae]

Originally Posted by Hilary Biehl

Not uninformed, I just don't find it all that helpful. To use Plath again, if you are reading her work - not teaching it or writing an essay, just reading her - is it really helpful to think of her as a "confessional" poet? I would argue that it isn't. While it's probably good to know that she is widely identified as such (and I'm not sure how one could not know it), and that there was a connection between her and Lowell, an attachment to the idea of her as confessional might actually interfere with one's ability to read the poems as they are.

Blake is generally considered a Romantic poet, but is that helpful in reading and understanding Blake outside of the classroom?

etc.

I agree, I was more thinking of the 'help with writing' aspect. When I started out I knew very little about the history of poetry or different schools, which may have actually worked to my advantage. At the time I wasn't trying to emulate anyone or anything and my voice was allowed to develop naturally.

These days, however, it feels like this forum has gotten me over the hump of obvious mistakes and I find myself looking to pick and choose approaches (so in that sense learning about different schools may be helpful to me now, at least in an indirect way).

Although the more I read, and the more I learn, the more I find myself thinking: this is really beautiful poetry but completely antithetical to my voice. I'd just never write this way.

[Hilary Biehl]

Originally Posted by Nick McRae

I agree, I was more thinking of the 'help with writing' aspect. When I started out I knew very little about the history of poetry or different schools, which may have actually worked to my advantage. At the time I wasn't trying to emulate anyone or anything and my voice was allowed to develop naturally.

These days, however, it feels like this forum has gotten me over the hump of obvious mistakes and I find myself looking to pick and choose approaches (so in that sense learning about different schools may be helpful to me now, at least in an indirect way).

Although the more I read, and the more I learn, the more I find myself thinking: this is really beautiful poetry but completely antithetical to my voice. I'd just never write this way.

That makes sense. By the way, I think I sounded dismissive of the topic and that was not my intent. I do think it can be interesting, for a variety of reasons, to look at different poets and what they have in common (or don't). And in some cases poets self-identified with certain movements, so that is useful to know.

Your last paragraph is interesting. I feel as if I learn the most from poets that have very different voices than I do. I don't write like ee cummings or Stevie Smith, for instance, and wouldn't try to, but I find their poetry inspiring and invaluable. Of course there are also poets whose skill I can appreciate but who leave me absolutely cold. I haven't noticed that the school of poetry they subscribe to makes any difference in that regard, though.

[Nick McRae]

Originally Posted by Hilary Biehl

Your last paragraph is interesting. I feel as if I learn the most from poets that have very different voices than I do. I don't write like ee cummings or Stevie Smith, for instance, and wouldn't try to, but I find their poetry inspiring and invaluable. Of course there are also poets whose skill I can appreciate but who leave me absolutely cold. I haven't noticed that the school of poetry they subscribe to makes any difference in that regard, though.

My experience has been the same. Out of everyone I've read I've looked at Leonard Cohen the most extensively, but it's not been his overall style (or variety of styles) that have been the influence, but rather more granular elements of his writing that I like.

Lorca influenced Cohen and he influenced me as well, but again not his overall style. Up until now I'd never even thought to look at the overall styles or traditions they were following.

I guess on another level my current interest isn't just about the writing aspect alone, but also historical. Studying poetry for its own sake has become a hobby of mine, it passes the time. Which makes Hirsch's book such a good one to own.