The End of an Epoch

Poet Jessica Smith Moderates Controversial Deletion of Major Poetry Archive


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Ron Silliman and the School of Quietude, are they one in the same? The very nature of the "us versus them" mentality of Ron Silliman's cosmological battle with the 'powers that be' is such that it creates an adversarial relationship between those who pose themself on one side or the other. The fact that Mr. Silliman promotes an artist (too often) or disses one (too seldom) leaves a group of followers in a state of perpetual conflict without one whit of hope of resolution. By definition, association with one of the 'schools' (arbitrary seating list if you ask me) , the partisanship that results as a direct consequence of Mr. Silliman's positional statements (that never end) is the same damn thing he despises i.e. a confessional membership in a power block rather than an earned place in hard copy due to poetic prowess, intellect or sagacity. The salesman in Mr. Silliman (who decries the death of the little press, the little book store and the unknown poet) desires no moral or ethical change in the process.....no. That is an illusion. He embodies the status quo of the market itself and apparently does not really care as much as his followers think he does, about their opinions.

http://www.wetasphalt.com/?q=node/118

If Jorie Graham isn't the Headmistress of The School of Quietude, then I don't know that such a school exists as Mr. Silliman constructs it. What I do know is that one construction of the School of Quietude is that it is "those poets who hold the purse strings and tend to promote work that is familiar rather than work that is good."

In my opinion, the definition of SoQ poetry has been a type of poetry which eschews the less popular opinion for the one that is more socially acceptable, "for the times". In other words, 'better for us'. It hasn't however been practiced (the counter shiuhen of anti-SoQism-ness) as much as it has been preached. And especially by Mr. Ron Silliman on his blog through countless articles that supposedly stand for the less than generally accepted 'norm' of poetry and society as opposed to the status quo (politically correct) and has chosen now after 2,000,000 plus hits to delete the entirety of the conversation. Why?

Because it isn't pretty enough to suit the goal of the market.

Well, if Language School stands for VALUE then apparently the values have changed and left the pack of value-minders behind. The only value seems to be in the extent to which Mr. Silliman's opinion can successfully drown out the contrariness of public opinion, a public composed almost entirely of poets or poetry lovers.

I could have and probably did, warn of this type of thing. I'm not the only one either (I'll bet Mr. Gould is just wringing his hands and slobbering with delight) and it is entirely possible that this is the death knell for a partisanship that has long outlasted its actual vitality that was born and bred in the Vietnam era.