My Way_ Speeches and Poems - Charles Bernstein

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POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 121 and dialectical poetry must confront this obvious contradiction: dialect, understood as nation language, has a centripetal force, regrouping often denigrated and dispirited language practices around a common center; ideolect, in contrast, suggests a centrifugal force, moving away from normative practices without necessarily replacing them with a new center of gravity, at least defined by self or group. Furthermore, the social positions from which these practices emerge will often be quite distinct. Dialect poets may be regarded by the dominant literary culture as outsiders, but they are often also at the center of collective formations that are struggling to obtain self-respect and cultural legitimacy. Ideolect poets often eschew the center with which they may be associated by education or social position, to the point of refusing the collective identities with which they might otherwise be affiliated. The point of a social reading of these forms is neither to elide nor reify such differences, but to bring them into con VERSation. The meaning of poetic forms can never be separated from the social contexts in which they are used, since meaning is never uniform, always informed by time and place. My emphasis is on how poetic forms can be used to question, rather than reinforce, the representations-and one might say the enactments-of these social contexts. For the social meaning of these forms is not given but made. The work of Bunting and MacDiarmid is useful to consider in this respect for they are both poets whose work, dialect and not, insisted on a "northern" identity-Northum brian and Scottish-while rejecting closed forms of Scots or Northumbrian nationalism. MacDiarmid's sympathy for but ultimate rejection by both Communist and Nationalist political parties is exemplary of the tension between localism and socialism or anarchism. Writing next to the Island center of traditional English verse, their poetry skirts the distinction between dialect and ideolect in a continuing dialog between language and place that dances around and within such ideological fractures and fractals, exposing the materiality of sound patterns to the territorialization of desire. MacDiarmid and Bunting had to invent aspects of the Scots and Northumbrian in A Drunk Man Looks at Thistle and Briggjlatts (albeit the inventions were quite different in each case). Briggjlatts is more a work of constructed syntax than an idiomatic reconstruction of an oral tradition; aurality is its most salient feature? If we understand the direction 7. Peter Quartermain, in a letter (March 18, 1995), comments, "The new English that each uses is inescapably itself, a shade alien to the ear and at the same time a shade more 'authentically' English, because it departs from the koine, standard English, even though it is comprehensible in an ordinary English context and to an ordinary English ear (whatever ordinary means there--one used to [hear 1 'standard' I suppose, but that concept has been decaying for the last forty or so years I think). You'll have noted that I'm saying nothing about what sort of syntax that is, but I do think it cultivates turbulence and roughness to the ear and tongue because the
122 POETICS OF THE AMERICAS of "English" away from its Island English center as a structural question, then we can begin to see links among poetic projects involving secession, dispersal, and regrouping. We may understand disparate practices as sharing a poetic space that is grounded not in an identical social position but in the English language itself as the material with which we make our regroupings and refoundings. Never just English but always a new English that is an object and a subject of our Verse. As Louise Bennett so eloquently and hilariously points out in her 1944 poem "Bans 0' Killing", this issue is as much one of the past as of the present and future: So yuh a de man, me hear bout! Ah yuh dem sey dah-teck Whole heap 0' English oat sey dat Yuh gwine kill dialect! Meck me get it straight Mass Charlie For me noh quite undastan, Yuh gwine kill all English dialect Or jus Jamaica one? Ef yuh dah-equal up wid English Language, den wha meck Yuh gwine go feel inferior, wen It come to dialect? Ef yuh kean sing "Lin stead Market" An "Wata come a me y'eye", Yuh wi haffi tap sing "Auld lang syne" An "Comin thru de rye". Oah language weh yuh proad 0', Weh yuh honour and respeck, Po' Mass Charlie! Yuh noh know sey Oat it spring from dialect! Oat dem start fe try tun language, From de fourteen century, Five hundred years gawn an dem got More dialect dan we! smooth and the graceful and the beautiful ... are not only 'southron' but also 'literary', gesturing lazily as they do to a pitifully limited concept of what constitutes the sublime. Like Mina Loy, they cultivate 'gracelessness' (but then one has to define 'grace,' no?) and might indeed be said to share with her the project which says 'I do not write poetry' -if what the centre produces is poetry, then they want none of it, reaching to another definition of sense and discourse, derived from dialect/ideolect speech, and from prose."
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Speeches and Poems [~aTles hmstein
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for Felix
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[ontents Hi Preface A Defense of Po
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hef ace I'm incorrect: the learned
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~ ~efence of ~oetr~ for Brian McHal
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l~e ~euenge of t~e ~oet-[ritic. or
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 5 often
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 7 its pa
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 9 invest
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 11 inter
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 13 The q
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 15 on po
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REVENGE OF THE POET-CRITIC 17 Dista
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THELONIOUS MONK 19 Nonetheless, I'v
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THELONIOUS MONK 21 To perform a poe
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THE LON IOU 5 M 0 N K 23 acting, wh
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~n Interuiellllllit~ manuel ~rito M
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AN INTERVIEW WITH MANUEL BRITO 27 w
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A N IN T E RV lEW WIT H MAN U E L B
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AN INTERVIEW WITH MANUEL BRITO 31 a
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~oli~arit~ Is t~e ~ame me ~iue to m
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SOL I DAR I T Y 1ST HEN A M E 35 po
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT? 37 co
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT? 39 nu
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT? 41 si
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DOW I T HIT? 43 t
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W HAT' 5 ART GOT TO DOW I T HIT? 45
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT? 47 jo
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W HAT'S ART GOT TO DOW I T HIT? 49
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WHAT'S ART GOT TO DO WITH IT? 51 en
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How about strain, does it mean a se
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A TEST OF POETRY 55 the echoes of M
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THE BOO K A S ARC HIT E C T U R E 5
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all those express trains hurtling t
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that, but philosophyhave you read m
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~n InteruielU lUit~ ~anna~ moc~el-~
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A N I N T E R V lEW WIT H HAN N A H
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Page 84 and 85: AN INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH MOCKEl-RIE
Page 86 and 87: I ~on't la~e ~oi[e mail The Object
Page 88 and 89: I DON'T TAKE VOICE MAll 75 often di
Page 90 and 91: I DON'T TAKE VOICE MAIL 77 systems
Page 92 and 93: I DON'T TAKE VOICE MAIL 79 screen o
Page 94 and 95: Every day. Day by day. The hours ha
Page 96 and 97: [laiTe-jn-t~e- ~ui l~ing There is n
Page 98 and 99: C l A IRE· IN· THE· B U I l DIN
Page 100 and 101: AGAIN EIGNER 87 that is not dissimi
Page 102 and 103: "slicks" "shakes" "hums" "simmers"
Page 104 and 105: FRAME LOCK 91 ory, prophylactically
Page 106 and 107: FRAME LOCK 93 compelling, while the
Page 108 and 109: F RAM E L 0 C K 95 ence is not sati
Page 110 and 111: F RAM E L 0 C K 97 with another and
Page 112 and 113: FRAME LOCK 99 Is criticism condemne
Page 114 and 115: "PASSED BY EXAMINATION" 101 break o
Page 116 and 117: "PASSED BY EXAMINATION" 103 Here is
Page 118 and 119: THE V A L U E 0 F 5 U L FUR 105 tra
Page 120 and 121: THE V A L U E 0 F S U L FUR 107 poe
Page 122 and 123: ~ertru~e an~ lU~UJif s ~ogus ~~uent
Page 124 and 125: INTROJECTIVE VERSE 111 one the poem
Page 126 and 127: oetics of t~e ~meTicas Speaking in
Page 128 and 129: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 115 zines p
Page 130 and 131: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 117 cupied
Page 132 and 133: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 119 defines
Page 136 and 137: POE TIC S OFT H E AM E RIC A S 123
Page 138 and 139: POE TIC S 0 F THE AM E RIC A S 125
Page 140 and 141: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 127 and McK
Page 144 and 145: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 131 grow ti
Page 146 and 147: POETICS OF THE AMERICAS 133 also th
Page 148 and 149: POE TIC S 0 F THE AM E RIC A s 135
Page 152 and 153: UN ZIP B LEE D 139 texture of truth
Page 154 and 155: ~tein' s Identit~ What is identity
Page 156 and 157: STEIN'S IDENTITY 143 Of course anyo
Page 158 and 159: ~rouisionallnstitutions Alternative
Page 160 and 161: PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS 147 At the
Page 162 and 163: PRO V I S ION A LIN S TI T U TI 0 N
Page 164 and 165: PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS 151 out to
Page 166 and 167: PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS 153 articu
Page 168 and 169: ~oun~ an~ t~e ~oetr~ of 1 o~a~ What
Page 170 and 171: P 0 U N DAN D THE POE TRY 0 F T 0 D
Page 174 and 175: POUND AND THE POETRY OF TODAY 161 t
Page 176 and 177: POUND AND THE POETRY OF TODAY 163 g
Page 180 and 181: INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING 167 as eyeli
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ROB I NON HIS 0 W N 171 to mean in
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ROB I NON HIS 0 W N 173 poetic comp
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Water Ima~es of "'e HeUJ forier May
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WATER IMAGES OF THE NEW YORKER 177
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THE RESPONSE AS SUCH 179 way of say
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THE RESPONSE AS SUCH 181 tribution
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THE RESPONSE AS SUCH 183 Howe has g
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THE RES P 0 N SEA S S U C H t 85 au
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FRO MAN 0 N G 0 I N G I NT E R V lE
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FRO MAN 0 N G 0 I N G I NT E R V lE
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fHplicit ~ersion ~umber ~equired Ye
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HINGE PICTURE 193 Which is to say t
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Generations to a Sunday that holds
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~e2ni~off S ~earness 1. Charles Rez
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 199 "the pithy
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 201 reviewed b
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R E Z N I K 0 F F' S N EAR N E S S
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R E Z N I K 0 F F 's N EAR N E S S
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R E Z N I K 0 F F 's N EAR N E S S
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R E Z N I K 0 FF '5 N EAR N E 5 5 2
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 211 and unassu
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 213 everywhere
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 215 23. Hanukk
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 217 tributed t
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 219 34. It's a
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R E Z N I K 0 F F 's N EAR N E S s
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REZNIKOFF'S NEARNESS 223 themes in
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R E Z N I K OFF' 5 N EAR N E 5 5 22
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R E Z N I K 0 F F' S N EAR N E S S
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~n ~uto~iograp~icallnteruieUJ Loss
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 231 t
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 233 p
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 235 f
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 237 e
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A N AUT 0 B lOG RAP H I CAL I NT E
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A N AUT a B lOG RAP H I CAL I N T E
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A N AUT 0 B lOG RAP H I CAL I N T E
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A N AUT 0 B I 0 C RAP HIe A LIN T E
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 247 s
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A N AUT 0 B lOG RAP H I CAL I NT E
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AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW 251 o
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~e~on~ fmaciation Hemmed in by ocea
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~idin~' s ~eason That He another da
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RID I N G 's REA SON 257 she lived,
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RIDING'S REASON 259 truthfulness /
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RIDING'S REASON 261 the concept of
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RID I N G 's REA SON 263 configurat
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RID I N G 's REA SON 265 More natur
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RID I N G '5 REA SON 267 important
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WHO S E H E KID DIN G 269 water in
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UNREPRESENTATIVE VERSE 271 only in
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~oetr~ and lffiale11 ~eH I don't kn
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POETRY AND [MALE?] SEX 275 forms of
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POE TRY AND [M ALE? 1 SEX 277 post
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~lose listening Poetry and the Perf
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C LOS ELI S TEN I N G 281 Goffman's
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C LOS EllS TEN I N G 283 Gospel cal
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C LOS EllS TEN I N G 285 mensurate.
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C LOS ELI S TEN I N G 287 reading.
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C LOS ELI S TEN I N G 289 What is t
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CLOSE LISTENING 291 to Giorgio Agam
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C LOS ELlS TEN I N G 293 slippage a
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C LOS ELI S TEN I N G 295 around th
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C LOS ELI S TEN I N G 297 speaks; h
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C LOS EllS TEN I N G 299 bases of r
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CLOSE LISTENING 301 country, and in
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TAP S [I N M EM 0 R I A MER I C MOT
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WAR N I N G - POE TRY ARE A 305 not
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WAR N I N G - POE TRY ARE A 307 whe
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WAR N I N G - POE TRY ARE A 309 lin
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WARNING-POETRY AREA 311 of technolo
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THE REPUBLIC OF REALITY 313 of a de
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THE REPUBLIC OF REALITY 315 to be p
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~otes and ~dnoUJledgments First pub
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Claire-in-the-Building. Mirage #4/P
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NOT E SAN D A C K NOW LED G MEN T S
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My Way_ Speeches and Poems - Charles Bernstein

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