• Author:agent Philip Mead http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/mead-philip
Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 A Poetic Death Sentence : Poetry as a Key to History
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Literary study tends to be characterised by bipolar episodes, swinging between enjoyment and judgement. There is reading for pleasure and learning to be critical, or making up your mind about how good, bad, or indifferent a literary work is. This way of thinking about literature still pervades all levels of the cultural and social scenes where readers talk to one another. We discuss with our friends or communities whether we like a work of literature or not, but when things get formal or seminar-serious the conversation shifts to whether we think that work is any good – a different thing. The Saturday review pages wobble between these two modes, between chat about whether readers will like a book or film, and whether it’s any good or not. Some texts that have become good over time, canonical in other words, we might not like. ‘Like’, here, of course, is a very fuzzy notion, although you would have to be delusional to think a book is automatically good because you like it. And liking certain texts, Ern Malley’s poetry or Stephenie Meyer’s fiction for example, might be evidence, in some people’s view, of a lack of taste, or bad judgement. But as we say, there’s no accounting for that.' (Introduction)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Australian Book Review no. 455 July 2023 26471652 2023 periodical issue 'Welcome to the July issue of ABR! This month ABR examines questions of politics, history, and immigration. Bain Attwood’s cover feature offers a nuanced examination of the Voice referendum from a historical perspective, drawing on the 1967 referendum on Aboriginal rights. Other major features include David Rolph on the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case and the vindication of investigative journalism, Jack Corbett on sovereignty games in the Pacific Islands, and ABR Laureate’s fellow Ebony Nilsson on the ALP’s uneasy history with immigration. Sheila Fitzpatrick examines a new history of East Germany and Michael Hofmann reviews Anna Funder’s major repositioning of Eileen O’Shaugnessy, George Orwell’s first wife. Also in the issue, Helen Morse takes us backstage, Brenda Walker reviews a collection of essays from critic Helen Elliott, Geordie Williamson appraises a new short story collection from J.M. Coetzee, and Patrick Mullins looks at transformations in the Australian media.' 

    (Publication summary)

    2023
    pg. 44-45
Last amended 3 Jul 2023 10:08:25
44-45 https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2023/july-2023-no-455/991-july-2023-no-455/10403-philip-mead-reviews-barron-field-in-new-south-wales-the-poetics-of-terra-nullius-by-thomas-h-ford-and-justin-clemens A Poetic Death Sentence : Poetry as a Key to Historysmall AustLit logo Australian Book Review
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