NPPF Canto 1: "smudge of ashen fluff"

[jbor]

on 25/7/03 10:31 PM, Malignd wrote:

> I haven't lost sight, although I don't always note it,
> of the difference between the poem as Nabokov's and
> the poem as Shade's.

I was beginning to wonder.

> The poem, with (I think intended (by VN)) lapses, is
> still far better (as Shade's) than you're giving it
> credit for being.

You're free to apply your own "test tubes and calipers" as you like, of
course, though thus far you've offered little to substantiate your claim.
And beyond the frequent lapses in style there are also those larger
questions relating to Shade's chosen subject matter and the philosophical
pretensions of the piece, and the incongruity of his own work habits. In
fact, it seems to me that Shade's the one who measures creativity and
aesthetic value -- let alone personal grief -- in terms of a fixed quota of
lines per day.
 
best