tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post8240332205510357300..comments2024-03-29T03:04:00.853-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: Trembling, I listened - there's at least one Whittier masterpieceAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-7753035294562627582009-09-25T16:16:14.857-05:002009-09-25T16:16:14.857-05:00The one-hit-wonder analogy does not work for Whitt...The one-hit-wonder analogy does not work for Whittier. He had many, many hits. He was Very Important.<br /><br />Whittier is more like, let's see, Carl Perkins, who had many fine songs and hits, but for some reason seems to have been reduced to "Blue Suede Shoes." Or the Marvelettes, the amazing Marvelettes. "Please Mr. Postman" is a middling quality Marvelettes song.<br /><br />This model may work for other poems - see Robert Southwell, "The Burning Babe."<br /><br />I just glanced at "The Ruined Cottage." I see what you mean. Although the first thing that struck we was Wordsworth's almost terrifying mastery of blank verse.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-5944881786717707132009-09-24T19:24:37.542-05:002009-09-24T19:24:37.542-05:00"An odd feature of poetry is that a poet can ..."An odd feature of poetry is that a poet can occasionally remain well-known ("immortal") for a single poem."<br /><br />So Whitter may be sort of the Lulu or Right Said Fred of the 19th century poetry scene. :-) I have a really hard time with Romantic or sentimental poetry - I read in many genres, but often, for poems in this mode, I just can't put aside the schmaltz factor, even for the Great Works (like, Wordsworth's "Ruined Cottage"? God, I was rolling my eyes like an annoying teenager through the entire thing). Still, "Telling the Bees" seems understated enough to be more effective than most. I'm enjoying your posts on Whittier, since I know almost nothing about him.Emilyhttp://www.eveningallafternoon.comnoreply@blogger.com