酷我-北美枫

[ericcoliu]

My Canadian friends and I decided to post a series of articles based on the "through-the-lens" metaphor, one which enables simultaneous explorations of the life-world we live in and of the literary worlds we travel around and ponder over. We hope this dual vision will help broaden our horizon of literary awareness in general and of poetic awareness in particular.

Mr. Barker’s PROPOSAL FOR A FUNDATION FOR PEOPLE’S POETRY is the first strike at our “Literary Wok;” my revised piece about Lu Xun’s conversion to writing, posted at http://coviews.com/viewtopic.php?t=34623 , is the second one.

The Poetic Lens


PROPOSAL FOR A FUNDATION FOR PEOPLE’S POETRY

Written by Terry Barker

The general cultural consciousness of the advent of a “Post-Modern” era in the wake of the collapse of the ideologies put in place in the nineteenth century has created a sense of freedom and openness to human possibilities, but it has also engendered a widespread sense of disconnectedness from others and from the past that threatens, in many minds, a coming world disorder, or, alternatively, tyranny.

A parallel psycho-social situation occurred at the beginning of the Modern Era that produced, first in Europe and America, and then in the countries influenced by Western societies, a cultural and political movement that attempted to welcome the new freer human relations, while retaining the communal links and artistic (in the broadest sense) distinctions of the past. Although often derailed and deformed during the age of Ideology now passing, this cultural tendency (present strongly in the liberal nationalist populism of Italy, France and Ireland, the Narodism of Russia, the Young China movement, the ligue nationalists of Quebec, American Populism and Progressivism, Canadian “Red Toryism,” British Tory socialism, etc.), survived usually most articulately in the realms of literature and visual art, these coming together, often, as poetry. It is thus perhaps not surprising that it is in the tradition of “People’s Poetry” that one finds a lasting legacy of the Early Modern consciousness that may have much to say to the contemporary civilisational crisis.

In the Canadian context, which, like all national circumstances, has its own historical and political specificities, People’s Poetry is in danger of “dropping off the radar screen” entirely, a fate similar to more of the Canadian experience that is common in the case of other societies, for reasons explained by Canadian philosopher, George Grant. This situation, which, by its very nature suggests that intervention is necessary in order to preserve cultural content of possibly important practical relevance, also indicates the perhaps unique value of this Canadian species of poetic populism, in that it has arisen on the border of the one remaining, and most influential, of the ideologies of modernity, American-based liberal corporation capitalism, now overspreading the earth.

As Eric Voegelin, the German-American political philosopher, pointed out, modernity has been a growth within Western civilisation that has affected the world, but the ideologies of modernity are now “running to their end.” People’s Poetry, which has acted as a bridge (among others) through modernity to the present from the Western cultural past can help to stimulate the spiritual and philosophical discussions that are now so urgently necessary within all the cultural communities of Canada and the planet.

However, this will not occur if the spiritual and social experiences expressed through People’s Poetry are allowed to drop below the public horizon of awareness. As corporations and governments, and the mass media they control, cannot be expected to rectify this situation, it is clearly up to concerned individuals to come together to organise support for the retrieval and promotion of this important cultural tradition. It is therefore proposed that a Foundation for People’s Poetry be established.

Terry Barker studied political theory at McMaster and Oxford Universities. He currently teaches Humanities at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto, and Canadian studies and Ethnics in a Market Economy at the Business School of Humber in the Ningbo, China Program. He is the author of two collections of essays on the People's Poetry tradition, After Acorn (Mekler and Deahl, Hamilton and Pittsburgh, 1999) and Beyond Bethune (Synaxis Press, Dewdney, British Columbia, 2006). He is currently working on a sequel volume, Continuing Chesterton.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

My Canadian friends and I decided to post a series of articles based on the "through-the-lens" metaphor, one which enables simultaneous explorations of the life-world we live in and of the literary worlds we travel around and ponder over. We hope this dual vision will help broaden our horizon of literary awareness in general and of poetic awareness in particular.

Mr. Barker’s PROPOSAL FOR A FUNDATION FOR PEOPLE’S POETRY is the first strike at our “Literary Wok;” my revised piece about Lu Xun’s conversion to writing, posted at http://coviews.com/viewtopic.php?t=34623 , is the second one.

The Poetic Lens


PROPOSAL FOR A FUNDATION FOR PEOPLE’S POETRY

Written by Terry Barker

The general cultural consciousness of the advent of a “Post-Modern” era in the wake of the collapse of the ideologies put in place in the nineteenth century has created a sense of freedom and openness to human possibilities, but it has also engendered a widespread sense of disconnectedness from others and from the past that threatens, in many minds, a coming world disorder, or, alternatively, tyranny.

A parallel psycho-social situation occurred at the beginning of the Modern Era that produced, first in Europe and America, and then in the countries influenced by Western societies, a cultural and political movement that attempted to welcome the new freer human relations, while retaining the communal links and artistic (in the broadest sense) distinctions of the past. Although often derailed and deformed during the age of Ideology now passing, this cultural tendency (present strongly in the liberal nationalist populism of Italy, France and Ireland, the Narodism of Russia, the Young China movement, the ligue nationalists of Quebec, American Populism and Progressivism, Canadian “Red Toryism,” British Tory socialism, etc.), survived usually most articulately in the realms of literature and visual art, these coming together, often, as poetry. It is thus perhaps not surprising that it is in the tradition of “People’s Poetry” that one finds a lasting legacy of the Early Modern consciousness that may have much to say to the contemporary civilisational crisis.

In the Canadian context, which, like all national circumstances, has its own historical and political specificities, People’s Poetry is in danger of “dropping off the radar screen” entirely, a fate similar to more of the Canadian experience that is common in the case of other societies, for reasons explained by Canadian philosopher, George Grant. This situation, which, by its very nature suggests that intervention is necessary in order to preserve cultural content of possibly important practical relevance, also indicates the perhaps unique value of this Canadian species of poetic populism, in that it has arisen on the border of the one remaining, and most influential, of the ideologies of modernity, American-based liberal corporation capitalism, now overspreading the earth.

As Eric Voegelin, the German-American political philosopher, pointed out, modernity has been a growth within Western civilisation that has affected the world, but the ideologies of modernity are now “running to their end.” People’s Poetry, which has acted as a bridge (among others) through modernity to the present from the Western cultural past can help to stimulate the spiritual and philosophical discussions that are now so urgently necessary within all the cultural communities of Canada and the planet.

However, this will not occur if the spiritual and social experiences expressed through People’s Poetry are allowed to drop below the public horizon of awareness. As corporations and governments, and the mass media they control, cannot be expected to rectify this situation, it is clearly up to concerned individuals to come together to organise support for the retrieval and promotion of this important cultural tradition. It is therefore proposed that a Foundation for People’s Poetry be established.

Terry Barker studied political theory at McMaster and Oxford Universities. He currently teaches Humanities at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Toronto, and Canadian studies and Ethnics in a Market Economy at the Business School of Humber in the Ningbo, China Program. He is the author of two collections of essays on the People's Poetry tradition, After Acorn (Mekler and Deahl, Hamilton and Pittsburgh, 1999) and Beyond Bethune (Synaxis Press, Dewdney, British Columbia, 2006). He is currently working on a sequel volume, Continuing Chesterton.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[anna]

Thank you, Eric and Terry.

Way to go.
_________________
---------------------

Anna Yin

《爱的灯塔-星子安娜双语诗选》
<Nightlights> <Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac> ...

http://annapoetry.com

[[星子安娜]]

Thank you, Eric and Terry.

Way to go.
_________________
---------------------

Anna Yin

《爱的灯塔-星子安娜双语诗选》
<Nightlights> <Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac> ...

http://annapoetry.com

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[fanfan]

[[FAFAFA]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[redshoe]

[[redshoe]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[星子]

Terry wrote this a few years ago. I think this represent the possible role in our society. But in the real world, our medias only focus on money, S E X and fame.

Once I wrote a poem about " Deal or No Deal"

Watching them
pace with nerves,
butterflies in stomach,
exclaiming, cheering...

Weeks after weeks,
different people,
the same show--
materialism praised higher
than spiritual peace.

Everything, money can buy,
a car, a house and even relationships--
nothing is beyond greed,
this is the deal.

From a faraway battle,
where Canadian soldiers fight,
someone's dad, sons and daughters
scream their hope for peace;

While risking their very life;
their victory never can be
a deal with any money.
_________________

[[ANNA]]

Terry wrote this a few years ago. I think this represent the possible role in our society. But in the real world, our medias only focus on money, S E X and fame.

Once I wrote a poem about " Deal or No Deal"

Watching them
pace with nerves,
butterflies in stomach,
exclaiming, cheering...

Weeks after weeks,
different people,
the same show--
materialism praised higher
than spiritual peace.

Everything, money can buy,
a car, a house and even relationships--
nothing is beyond greed,
this is the deal.

From a faraway battle,
where Canadian soldiers fight,
someone's dad, sons and daughters
scream their hope for peace;

While risking their very life;
their victory never can be
a deal with any money.
_________________