Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 311

April 14, 2017Simon Pettet

[Hal Chase, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs, Morningside Heights, next to Columbia College, New York City, Winter 1944-45. photo c. Allen Ginsberg Estate]

The Best Minds of My Generation – A Literary History of the Beats – Bill Morgan’s masterly collection of Allen’s teaching wisdom   (from Naropa and Brooklyn College) appears today (official publication-day) from Grove Press (Grove Atlantic).

Here’s a few lines from Anne Waldman‘s lucid introduction:

“Allen Ginsberg devotedly, and with a loving perseverance, incubated these lectures on his primary literary Beat colleagues during his first teaching job at … Read More

The Beat Generation – A Literary History (1953-1957)

April 13, 2017Simon Pettet

Tomorrow is the official publication date of the new Ginsberg tome The Best Minds of My Generation – A  Literary History of The Beats,  edited by Bill Morgan.

April 13, on this day, thirty-five years ago, in Boulder, “in preparation for this summer’s Great ON THE ROAD festival”  (the twenty-five year celebration of Kerouac’s great enduring masterpiece) – “One and only time! Never before done and probably never after! An historic occasion!” – (Allen beats the drums!) –  “The Beat Generation – A Literary History (1953-1957)”, an eight-week course taught by Ginsberg, featuring himself,  (Gregory) Corso,  (William) Burroughs, … Read More

Ezra Pound – Two “Piths” From The ABC of Reading

April 11, 2017Simon Pettet

AG: The ABC of Reading from Ezra Pound – yeah how many know that? I recommend taking a look at that or buying it, or reading it. It’s a litttle anthology, like a teaching anthology, to hit high points and special effects in .. you know, Mike? (sic) have you read it?

Student (Mike):  Yes

AG: When?

Student (Mike): In the summer, the past summer..

AG: (We’re)  talking about Ezra Pound’s ABC of Reading. It’s a book I’ve come back to over and over again for clear ideas and suggestions in how to write, how to think about writing. I … Read More

Ezra Pound Cantos – LXXXI – 1

April 6, 2017Simon Pettet

[Henry Lawes (1595-1662), English composer] – “Lawes and Jenkyns guard thy rest”

Allen Ginsberg, on Ezra Pound in The Cantos….

AG: Now, look what Ezra Pound did with this. [sic- continuing with metrics]  Could.. this is.. just like the other one that you went over with Stanley (Lombardo) last term – “drop drop drop drop” (Ben Jonson’s “slow, slow fresh Fount“) – it’s one of the great classic ear pieces. So, in The Pisan Cantos, referring to the progress of English poetry, (a page that I read last term, when we sort of…  prefatory to going … Read More

Ben Jonson – (The Triumph of Charis)

March 29, 2017Simon Pettet

[Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510) – Primavera (Allegory of Spring)  (1482) – (detail) ]

 continuing with Ben Jonson

AG:   Yeah, well I want to get on to “The Triumph of Charis” – Charis? – Charis. Do you know what that is? It’s a play, originally, I imagine, from a play, or  a longer poem but I think a play Do you know anything about that, the origin of that, Stanley? (sic)

Stanley Lombardo : No

AG: Okay, the measure or the rhythm in the ending of this poem is really exquisite and powerful and really interesting maybe to get on … Read More

A Ben Jonson Reading List

March 27, 2017Simon Pettet

[Ben Jonson (1572-1637)]

AG: I guess it’s nine-thirty. So we’ll go on to Ben Jonson next. And I think I gave you what I  suggested from Jonson was..  two.. do you still have that page?.. two-fifty-two –  (the poem) on his first son – “On My First Son” (“Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy..”)  – (then) – two fifty-six, Salomon Pavey – “An Epitaph on S.P.” (“Weep with me, all you that read/This little story”) – (and) – Little L.H. – “Epitaph on Elizabeth, L.H.”  (“Wouldst thou hear what man can say..”) – … Read More

A Post-Thanksgiving Elizabethan Reading List

November 26, 2016Simon Pettet

elizabethan-music

Reading Assignments –

AG: Well, okay, it’s about 9.30 almost. For next round, George Peele, page 183, George Peele – Writhe in “Hot sun, Cold fire”. Do we have any Robert Greene in our book? some Robert Greene.. Robert Southwell’s “Burning Babe” page 186..Samuel Daniel “Care-Charmer Sleep“, 187…is it on there?… yeah “Care-Charmer Sleep”   Sonnet 45, page 188. Look them all over, look over Daniel – Sonnet 46 – “Authentic shall my verse in time to come..” – There is a…one other.. look over the (Thomas) Campion, which will be then in … Read More

A Brief Detour on Metrics -1

November 23, 2016Simon Pettet

astrophel

Allen continuing his class on Sir Philip Sidney‘s poem  [Astrophil and Stella – Sonnet 1 – “Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show”]

Student; So after that?

AG: Well, I don’t know. What happened to the “of”? – [”That She, dear She might take some pleasure/Of my pain”] – “of my pain”, “pleasure of my pain” – That’s one of the problems of the transcription. So we’ll substitute the “That” for the “Of”, we’ve still got six

“Pleasure might cause her read,/ reading might make her know”, no, “Pleasure/ might cause her/ read,/ … Read More

Philip Sidney – “Fool” said my Muse..”

November 22, 2016Simon Pettet

 

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Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)

AG: (Sir Philip) Sidney’s Sonnets are pretty funny. Number one, particularly – 176 – a couple of pages later – Remember Anne (Waldman) the other day read, in her reading, she read a sonnet that was.. “My love is like my love and she’s like me, and her heart heart like mine, and mine…” [Editorial note – “Two Hearts – After Sir Philip Sidney”‘  –  (“She’s got my heart and I’ve got hers..”‘)] …(which) was an imitation of Astrophel and Stella, and probably the first..

The last line in … Read More

Ginsberg’s “Woe unto thee Manhattan” (An Early Sonnet)

November 17, 2016Simon Pettet

townandthecity

AG: I think.. I wrote.. When I first read Jack Kerouac’s first book, I wrote a sonnet imitating this, that ended something like.. something very similar with “Woe unto..” (yes, “Sion is…”  “Sion lies waste, and thy Jerusalem,/ O Lord, is fall’n to utter desolation”

Woe unto thee, Manhattan, woe to thee,

Woe unto all the cities of the world.

Repent, Chicagos, O repent; ah, me!

Los Angeles, now thou art gone so wild,

I think thou art still mighty, yet shall be,

As the earth shook, and San Francisco fell,

An angel in an agony of … Read More