Bush poetry newspaper article

[David Campbell]

There’s an article of mine about bush poetry in today’s Melbourne Age. It’s entitled ‘Where there’s rhyme, there’s a reason: poetry is not dead’, and it’s timed to coincide with the festival at Tamworth. Those interested can find it at:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/societ ... 19sf0.html

(Or go to the National Times section of the Age website.)

Unfortunately, the first person to comment on the article (someone called Colin, from Sydney), has begun his observation with: “Ah, Banjo Paterson, C J Dennis, and Henry Lawson; Australia's contribution to the rancid pile of doggerel so loved by the working-class Australian.”

[Vic Jefferies]

Good on you David and well done!
"Colin's" response to your article is, I am afraid, typical of the intelligentsia who have by their absurd so called poetic scribblings managed to alienate almost entire generations of school children and adults from the enjoyment of poetry.
"So loved by the working class Australian," sums up "Collin's" and his cronies attitudes precisely. Working class Australians for his information and edification are the people and anyone who thinks he is superior to the people is a dill!
I would dare say that Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson and CJ Dennis are still the largest selling and most popular poets in Australia and that they easily outsell any of the contemporary free verse mumbo jumboists every year!
I don't think it is a matter of emulating the old masters as much as appreciating their work and writing in a similar style. Their greatest gift was to be able to speak to the people in a language the people understood and appreciated.
When this crop of free versers are dead and gone and long forgotten together with their nonsense poems the Australian people will still be reading and enjoying "The Man From Snowy River" and marveling at the skill and work of the our greatest poets.

Vic Jefferies

[Maureen K Clifford]

Well said Vic - that's it in a nutshell.


Good on you Dave - don't let the feeble minded get to you. A lot of people these days IMO seem to be computer intelligent, well educated, supposedly smart people - but when it comes to plain common sense they are found severely lacking - and are so arty farty that they think themselves above the common herd or working class type of Australian. Give them a shovel and they wouldn't know what to do with it - and give them a dictionary and they wouldn't know how to use it - Google is their friend (my sons favourite saying)- us WCTA's are a pretty good mob in my books.

I wouldn't change a thing. Australia is carried on the backs of WCTA's

Cheers

Maureen

[Vic Jefferies]

Thanks for agreeing Maureen.
This is a problem that not only applies to poetry. The past few generations have been deprived of a great many things that we older people were taught and shown.The rot is now so entrenched that the young are unaware that what is now foisted on them as art and entertainment is nonsense, rubbish, intrinsically bad and absolute drivel. If you were never exposed to good poetry, art, music or drama how do you understand that what is being presented to you today is crap?
We are fortunate enough to be able compare what we see, hear and are told today with what we were exposed to years ago. We know there is and can be something better than the nonsense served up to us as art. We know that most of what passes for contemporary free verse poetry is egocentric garbage. When somebody shows us a slash and a daub on black canvas we know Monet and Renoir would be appalled. We know that the noise pollution mass produced on synthetic electronic machines is not music.
Unfortunately the young have nothing and no one to compare what is served up to them with and therefore accept what ever is the current fashion.
There is a place for our poetry and there always will be provided we reach out and encourage the young to participate.

Vic Jefferies

[David J Delaney]

Fantastic article David, I've locked horns with a couple of academics (so called poetry experts) on another site, a couple of times, & as Maureen pointed out they are highly educated but wouldn't know one end of a shovel from the other.

Good work mate.

[Zondrae]

G'day Vic and other friends,

May I say, on behalf of the working classes:
There are a lot more of us than there of your lot!

There will always be both good and bad examples of every art or genre of writing, as has been said, you need many examples to compare them and decide which is in style. (Or if you must be competitive... which is better.)

And, while I may be considered 'working class', I know what I like and no university educated toff can tell me what I should like or that my thoughts on a particular verse, are worth any less than theirs.

[Neville Briggs]

I read the article with interest. There were a number of comments in support of David Campbell, a couple of antis.

This is the sort of argument that rages over all the arts.
There was a time when " abstract " painting was considered the real thing and the traditional disciplines of drawing and composition were not even taught in art school , realist representational art was despised as " rancid daubs ". A large number of art students graduated from art school and could not draw. I have heard that there is a strong back lash against this situation and in today's painting scene, drawing and compositional skills are valued, the loss perpetrated by so called progressives is keenly felt. Although there is still a big place found for what seems to be unstructured art.

The comments against David's article seem to spring not from literary evaluation but more from the post-modernist mood which is so prevalent. Post-modernism hates Australian national pride, British heritage and the value of pioneering settlers ( amongst other things ) these things are celebrated by Dennis, Lawson and Paterson. Post-modernism also hates discipline and structure as being a sort of fascist tyranny, hence the ridicule against David's teaching philosophy.

I think the time is coming when, like the painting scene, people will start to realise that post-modernism is like the emperor who had no clothes.

There are already some very well accepted contemporary poets who use the formal rhyme and metre. John Whitworth and Wendy Cope in England and Kevin Hart in Australia.
But of course, they are not " bush " poets. We must not remain imitators of poetry themes of the 1890s ( I'm afraid some bush poets do ) or the critics might have a point.

At least David got some coverage in a significant media outlet, that's a plus.


Neville.

[Zondrae]

G'day Neville,

If you read all the poetry posted on this site (which I'm sure you do) you will have noticed - not many of us write about the bush. Even those who do also write about contemporary town life.

When I meet someone I say I write and perform poetry. When asked what style, I answer 'Rhyme and Metre' and any mention of 'bush poetry' and the ABPA comes a little later. I always listen and watch carefully for the 'humph' that comes from narrow minded literarti. If there is no 'humph', I know they are not narrow minded or, I prefer the term 'closed minded'.
I have written non-rhyming verse, not a lot, but I recognise there are many, many forms of poetry. I do not, nor would I ever, look down my nose at someone elses chosen genre. For my own part, if it doesn't rhyme it is not the type of poetry I prefer. In MHO it takes far more skill to write with strict rhyme and metre than it takes to simply throw some words, which may or may not be related, on a page and call it a poem. Having said this, there are some totally artistic and stunning non-rhyming poems, but I don't know any lines from even one.

I do like Haiku but there again there is almost an ultimate discipline in this strict Japanese form.
I read this when I was about 15 and have never forgotten it. It appeals on many levels.

There is noone here
And yet I am not lonely.
Orange blossom smell.

[Maureen K Clifford]

There is room for all - for all are different - and we all walk different paths.

My love is Bush Poetry but I don't mind some free verse either - if it makes sense to me - even write it myself and like Zondrae appreciate Haiku as well. This is a Tanka I wrote....I think you'll get it.

What is Love?

Mahalia
greets all with a toothy grin
tail wagging and eyes bright
paroxysms of delight
in her every move

Cheers

Maureen

[Zondrae]

G'day Maureen, whew! that water was close!

Could you post the 'rules' of that 'Tanka' form please. I often like to present to IBP - other forms of poetry, specially if they are not too long and complicated. It helps us to have a little variety from the R&M form. I only offer it as a diversion and don't make it obligatory for anyone to give it a go. We get in a rut from time to time. I know I do, so a little change of thought often gets us out or the same old same old thing.

I wonder if it is possible to get an automatic spell-check put on this site. I know my typing is far from perfect and sometimes I have trouble reading my first go at posting something. What with this @#$@@* keyboard that has letters that stick, and always being in a hurry, it can be difficult to recognise that it is even written in English. One day when the evil imp has control I will post an entry as I first type it and just see if anyone can decypher it.