My vote went to Milton, Thomas, Coleridge, and Blake. I am thinking I might give my final vote to Byron. I have one left!
My vote went to Milton, Thomas, Coleridge, and Blake. I am thinking I might give my final vote to Byron. I have one left!
"All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours." -Aldous Huxley
"Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires." -William Blake
Are you in the UK Poetic? There is a programme about Milton on tonight which you might enjoy.Originally Posted by PoeticPassions
I went for Keats, Byron, Owen, Rossetti and Browning. I'm ashamed to say that I've never read Paradise Lost, but it's up there on my TBR wishlist. I'm sure after the programme I will want to read it even more, as I know a little about it, and how great it's supposed to be, and I love the presenter, (Armando Ianucci), so I'm sure I will trust his judgement as a great writer of political satire himself.
If it is for Britain to choose their favorite poets, should I vote as non-Britain?
Well, I voted for William Blake, Lord Byron, John Donn, William Wordsworth, TS Eliot, John Milton, Robert Browning.
We do not have that program.
I watched the movie Wit and I really enjoyed the part where the professor explained DEATH BE NOT PROUD line by line. I so wish someone could do the same of some poems for me. I should take some classes, maybe.
Walk, meditate, forget - Victor Hugo
Life is bigger than literature - Michael Cunningham
I'm minded to vote for Ted Hughes, because his Moortown Diaries IS my life in poetry. My other contenders are Stevie Smith, Wilfred Owen and John Betjeman.
Or, more likely, seeings as the vast majority of the poets on that list are dead, it's just the honest opinion that his reputation as a poet doesn't compare to his reputation as a playwright. Which is clearly an understandable position to hold.
You can be too dismissive.In the spirit of the BBC therefore I voted for Wordsworth because I like that Daffodil poem and Milton because he has a cool wig.
Not true at all. His reputation as a poet is, I would consider, untouchable. It's a no-brainer. If he was there, I believe, as Kelby said, he would probably win hands down. As the Beeb have done seasons on Shakespeare alone, they probably thought it would be unfair to put him in with the others.
Say, 'Shakespeare?' and people think plays. Hamlet, Othello and The Tempest. That's just how it is. This is the search for the nation's favourite poet. Personally, I find it bizarre that you don't think there are any poets better than Shakespeare but both of our views on him are irrelevant because that's not what this voting is about.
Those plays contain poetry. Shakespeare was a poet.
I know; you're missing the point. Obviously he was a poet, he also wrote poetry independently of his plays, but that is not what he his
known for. However good the poetry in his plays is (and it is) that doesn't take away from the fact that they are plays. They are plays in which poetry plays a role, not the other way around.
So:
In the public eye Shakespeare is primarily a playwright. His poetry plays a secondary role. This is the point.
So when we ask the public about poets, does Shakespeare automatically jump to mind? No. That is why the arts council made the choice they did.
I can't make it clear enough that this has nothing to do with the reality of shakespeare: I have no desire to argue that.
Well, not quite... but I couldn't resist voting, since I do read BBC News and watch the programs quite often. Plus, one of my closest friends lives in London, so I figured I could just vote for her
Ah, and Keats is wonderful too!
"All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours." -Aldous Huxley
"Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires." -William Blake
Shakespeare is also known for his sonnets. Because he was a playwright does not make him any less a poet. The sonnets are as highly regarded and as well-known as any other poems.
I think there's quite a good mix of poets up there- modern with old, not all men
Last edited by kelby_lake; 05-28-2009 at 12:59 PM.
'pparently not!
Try the BBC i player, you should be able to watch it via the internet that way:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...aven_and_Hell/If it is for Britain to choose their favorite poets, should I vote as non-Britain?
Well, I voted for William Blake, Lord Byron, John Donn, William Wordsworth, TS Eliot, John Milton, Robert Browning.
We do not have that program.
I watched the movie Wit and I really enjoyed the part where the professor explained DEATH BE NOT PROUD line by line. I so wish someone could do the same of some poems for me. I should take some classes, maybe.
Awesome! I wish they were showing this series in the States.
I'm glad to see Hopkins up there. I think he's a vastly underrated poet. I love his quirky neologisms and his sprung rhythm is very exciting to me. I don't think he'll garner a lot of votes, but hopefully some will show their appreciation.
When I saw Simon Armitage up there, I mistook him for Richard Armitage - the British actor. And my first thought was...he's a poet???But then my brain fart cleared up and I remembered S.Armitage as the translator of the newest translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Anyone read it yet? My Middle English professor actually gave a copy away as a prize for a translation contest...I've been curious to see if it actually deserves all the hype it's getting.
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