Comments on the Previous Post

Josh Lukin has pointed out that lousy right-wing politics did not start with High Modernism. There were many 19th century writers who had bad politics. I'm sure he's right. My post skips from the Romantics to the early 20th century, missing a lot. One problem is, there is a lot of 19th century western literature I have not read.

When I think of the 19th century, I think of Dickens, the Brontes, Melville. Twain, Dickinson and Whitman. That is hardly everyone.

Terry Garey says there is good writing which is recording, rather than an attempt to change anything. True enough. I would be hard put to do a political analysis of the following:

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.

or this one, also by William Carlos Williams:

This Is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold