04.pmd theories andformalpracticesinthemid-1980s,compilation oftwoanthologies: In theAmerican Tree P tanto porlaacademiacomoiniciativaeditorialprivada. obligados paratodosaquellosqueseacercanaestapoesíainnovadora, siendorespaldada enreferentescompilar alosdiferentes colaboradores.Estasdosantologíassehanconvertido nario históricoyaquellasprácticasquesiguieronloseditoresdeambasantologíaspara LouisZukofsky,furt, Wittgenstein oelpostmodernismo. Enesteensayopresentoelesce- Stein, laEscueladeFrank- Gertrude ladesconstrucción, poesía zaum,elpostestructuralismo, la confiere elformalismoruso, uncaráctersingularporsusrelaciones conelmarxismo, deestapoesíaconelModernismoruptura yunaligazóndecaráctermultidisciplinarqueles Tree doubt, were drawntodifficultissuessocharacteristicofthiskindpoetry. and were backedbypublisherswithacademicandcommercial weight.Many readers, no decisive referential collectionsbecausetheydefinitelyhelpedtowidenthepublicaudience scenes.Bothanthologiescanthusbeconsideredas these poetsondiversecontemporary proclaims thevalueoftheseanthologiesasaconsensualvehicletoextendinfluence Postmodernism. My characterizationofthishistoricalscenarioandcommunalpractices Stein, Gertrude Deconstruction, Frankfurt School,LouisZukofsky, Wittgenstein, or Russianand disciplines,likeMarxism, Formalism, zaumpoetry, post-structuralism, tovariouspoeticapproaches definitely brokewithModernism andwedAmericanpoetry anthologies, rican Tree «Two AnthologiesInstituionalizing Innovative AmericanPoetry: ’s A Dos antologíasdepoesíainnovadora americanapublicadasenlosañosochentadelsiglo R Douglas Messerli, K : RON SILLIMAN’S ALABRAS EYWORDS BSTRACT ESUMEN TWO ANTHOLOGIESINSTITUTIONALIZINGINNOVATIVE , Douglas Messerli,, Douglas AND DOUGLAS MESSERLI’S AND DOUGLAS While thelanguagepoetswere definitively consolidatingtheirnew poetic

andDouglas Messerli’s CLAVE : Innovative Americanpoetry, anthologies,RonSilliman, In theAmerican Tree : poesíainnovadoraRon americana,antologías, Silliman, «Language» Poetries: An Anthology (1986)y 47 «Language» Poetries: An Anthology R EVISTA «Language» Poetries: An Anthology

DE Universidad deLaLaguna ‘Language’ Poetries F (1986)and ILOLOGÍA Manuel Brito , 24;abril2006,pp. 47-56 «Language» Poetries: An Anthology «LANGUAGE» POETRIES ». Ron Silliman’s andDouglas Messerli’s . IN THE AMERICAN TREE IN THE . (1987),confirmaronuna 13/06/2006, 12:46 In theAmerican Tree In theAmerican In theAme- (1987), XX , ,

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MANUEL BRITO 48 sions of any literary activity(Lazer37). sions ofanyliterary the signandissuesofrepresentation, andfinally5)reconsideringthepoliticaldimen- rather thansignallingare-evaluation ofModernism, 4)thecontinuousdecodingof culture, 2)thecentralityoftheory, practice» 3)theiroperatingas«oppositionalliterary Lazer mentions1)theunofficialstatusoftheirdevelopmentoutsideconventionalverse what mattersare thetheoretical andpracticaldistinctionstheyprompt.Amongthese, culminated theavant-garde poeticexplorationsofthesepoetssincetheearly1970sand of Donald M.Allen’s both collectionsare representative ofthegreatest poeticupheavalsincethepublication perception oflanguageitself—itsmaterialityandsocialconcerns.For HankLazer, committed togatheringthemostrepresentative authorsengagedinheighteningthe audience. Indeed, bothSilliman’s andMesserli’s anthologieswerepresented asactively tendencyinAmericanlettersandpresentonly chronicleanew theirtextstoawider the normallysimpletaskforanyanthologistcompilingwork ofthesepoetsneed sensitive toitsgroundinginlanguage»(Silliman, «Poetry» 62).According tothisview, offersasocialpracticehyper- based onthecommonlyacceptedprinciplethat«poetry were allpublishedinthe1970sandearly1980s,theirinstitutionalizationwas Orcas Islands Big Sky, or The Figures— andlittlemagazineslike oped mostlythroughsmallpresses —Tuumba, Roof, Burning Deck,Potes &Poets, theoreticians. Allthiswasdevel- sion tospecificphilosophicalschoolsandliterary political implicationsinliterature, throughwhichtheyextendedtheircomprehen- tive bourgeoisculture»(323).Indeed, theselanguagepoetswere investigating the gem, as«[theorizing]textualpracticesresistant tothediscursive normsofaffirma- toquote Walterpoetics, itwouldbefruitful Kalaidjian’s oftheirgenericstrata- view new tendency. To and wayofconfiguringpoetry brieflyunderstandtheirparticular and ledreaders intoadiscursivecontextualizationoftheaestheticprinciplesthis poetry. Bothcollectionsgave orientationandvisibilitytotheirsystemicmodels, guage» Poetries: An Anthology In theAmerican Tree anthology. Indeed, are stillworkingwell,salesfiguresasofOctober2004are impressive forapoetry Academia andthecorporatemarket.In themarketplacewheretheseanthologies lisher likeNew Directions, topublishmaterialusuallyignoredbyofficialverseor Poetry Foundation andespeciallyCarrollF. Terrell, andalsoacommercialpub- successful inconvincingtheUniversity ofMaine atOrono, throughtheNational the world»(185-186).However, onthisoccasionbothSilliman andMesserli were aestheticvisions«tochange difference inpropitiatingandholdingthereaderstonew made itprofitabletodoso»,andthepresenceofalternativepublishersmakea States seriousliterature«onlywheneconomicconditions haveingeneralsupported Oculist Witnesses the finalrecognition ofthispoetictendency. should therefore milieuand be considered aclimacticimpactonAmericanliterary Robert L.McLaughlin affirms thatcommercialpublishersintheUnited The issueofhistoricitywasnotproblematicsincetheseauthors’ compositions , , 48 Qu , Roof Tree editedbyRon Silliman (1986)andDouglas Messerli’s , The New American Poetry Miam , hasgonethroughtwoeditionsandestimatedsalesfigures Joglars , or (1987)markedaturningpointinrecent American , Hills Sentences , La-Bas . The publicationofthesetwoanthologies , A Hundred Posters in1960,andthattheseanthologies Tottel’s 13/06/2006, 12:46 , Toothpick, Lisbon, &the , L=a=n=g=u=a=g=e «Lan- , 04.pmd of littlemagazineslike Zukofsky, Wittgenstein, orPostmodernism. Douglas Messerli hadbeentheeditor Stein, Frankfurt Gertrude School,Louis Deconstruction, post-structuralism, poetic approachesanddisciplines,likeMarxism, Russian Futurism, zaumpoetry, tovarious anthologies, whichdefinitelybrokewithModernism andwedpoetry formsreallymatter.tal artistic societyinwhichexperimen- ofvoicesreallyconcernedwithanew into thecategory too. forminorities These salesreclassifytheseoppositionalpracticesfrompoetry are around100,000soldcopies.Messerli’s collectionisnotfarfromthesefigures American Poetry, 1960-1990 pleted withhisworkintheanthology, Robert Bresson, Jean Renoir, orSam Eisenstein.Messerli’s editorshiphas beencom- writing ontheirownDonoso aesthetics,like co-existinthisserieswithotherartists credits pageofthesebooks. Writers Stein, Gérard deNerval likeGertrude orJosé society intoaslighttremoloofconfusionandfrightatleast»,asannouncedonthe tobring Ramblings, Revelations, andallsuchephemeraasmayappearnecessary Epistles, Diaristic Notes, Narratives, Natural Histories, Poems, Plays,Performances, international scopetocover «Essays,Manifestos, Statements, Speeches, Maxims, Los Angeles,Messerli became thepublisherofGreen Integer, comprisingamore Americanfiction(1983).More recentlyby1997,onsettlingin of contemporary well-established fictionwriterslikeDjunaBarnes, Russell Banks, orananthology Charles BernsteinorRayDi Palma. His editorshiphasbeenalsoextendedtoother propelled theAmericanpoeticscenewithchapbooksbysomelanguagepoetslike EducationProject— Arts andbythelate1970searly1980s,he Contemporary lege Park, In 1976hefoundedSun Maryland. &Moon Press bythe —supported «clustered» aroundsuchmagazinesas nificantly selectedpoetswhodecenteredconventional readingpracticeand zine publishedundertheauspicesofBostonUniversity. On thisoccasion,hesig- thology, «TheDwellingPlace:9Poets», (1975),appearing in reaching nationalattentionmotivated Silliman an- toinsistonpromotinganew reasons [ofgeography],areapttobeoverlooked» (71).Maybe hisinnerdesire for work,who,forthesame which hegathered15poets«now producingimportant Chicago Review as anthologistbeganwithco-editingDavidMelnick asamplerofpoetsforthe poets thathasbecomethesalientfeature ofrecent Americanpoetry. His experience generationof ofanew and freeofcharge,consolidatedhisrefinedcomplexview Tottel’s language poetsasmentionedabove. The experienceacquiredinhislittlemagazine, sion oflanguageundertheumbrellacriticalapproachesfollowed bythe ways shown hisdesiretopromotethehybrid,lurkingcrisisofsocialdimen- samplersandanthologiespreviousto different poetry and infocusingonthecentralityoflanguageasculturalcritique,hiseditorship of World Poetry ofthe20thCentury (1971-1981), published in Oakland and conceived as a newsletter forfriends (1971-1981),publishedinOaklandandconceivedasanewsletter The publishing industry supported bothSilliman andMesserli supported inediting The publishingindustry For aninnovative poetengagedasRon poeticmodes, Silliman isinrenewing , «Fifteen Young Poets oftheSan Francisco —Bay Area» (1970),in 49 La Bas (1994),andinthetwovolumesof (1976-1978)and (2003). This From ANew theOtherSide oftheCentury: , Big Deal Sun &Moon , In theAmerican Tree Tottel’s 13/06/2006, 12:46 (1976-1981)inCol- , Alcheringa Doones The PIP Anthology , Toothpick, , amaga- hasal-

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MANUEL BRITO 50 guage Sampler» in the early1980sbyCharlesBernstein. He editedanthologiesofthesepoetslike«Lan- voices wasacommonpracticewithinthistendency,poetry especiallyincarnated in L=a=n=g=u=a=g=e Book 2 ary his introductory essaytothissampler: his introductory crimination. Silliman referstothepoliticalandsocialmotivesforthisanthologyin cally asinchallengingthepoliticalstatusquojudgedracialoreconomicdis- pler», inwhichtheauthorsare notsomuchinterestedinexperimentingaestheti- recurrent inasamplerpublishedafter ofcriticalapproaches. ticularly unifiedbyagenericframework This diversityis multidimensional systemthroughwhichtorepresent multiplepoeticvoices,par- its form. There was,there istheexcitement» (135). of youngwriters,studentsandcommunitypeoplesniffing-outthe fifteen establishedpoetswhoare interestedbutnotaffiliated,plusagrowing number faces fromthecentralgroup, plustento typical audienceyoucanfindtentothirty ences havegrown andhavesometimestakenonthequalityofdiscipleship. In a ity withnon-referentiality, «Theexcitement oftheircollectiveprojectspread,audi- this groupincorporatedintoamixture ofcommitmenttodisplacementandcurios- Illustrations: Some Notes onLanguage Writing,» builtupagrowing reputation for following acreative linebyKathleenFraser, «Partial LocalCoherence/Regions with in Silliman’s definitiveanthology played asenseofcommunity, aswellavaluablelistofnamestobelaterincluded Anthology of‘LanguagePoets’», (1982),publishedin visibility ofthispoetictendencyhasitsinitialstepsintheedition«Realism: An a tendencyintheworkofmany»(104). The usefulnesofananthologyforthe referential Not formalism»,«diminishedreferentiality», «structuralist». agroupbut Lisbon &theOrcas Islands Tree . By then,Silliman hadaclearideaofthematerialandcontributorsto includein (1985-1986),whichculminatedinthepublication in1984of On thebrightside,itcanbesaidthatSilliman’s anthologiesalwaysshow a We shouldalsoconsiderthatthistrend ofmergingavant-garde language («Poetry» 65) (Bernstein, Dorf, Herrera)(Perelman, toradicalsocialconstructionism Scalapino). identity, thesepoetscouldbesaidtorangefrompositionsofrelative essentialism cal shifts,sometimesfromword toword. Categorizedintermsofthedebate over here shouldberead silently—althoughmeaningitselfissubjecttorapidandradi- traditional presumptionthatsoundisintegraltomeaning—noneoftheworks cal movements. Together, assumptionsbeyondthepoet’s theyappeartosharefew diversity ofcurrent writingbypoetswhoalignthemselveswithprogressive politi- The eightpoetswhosetextsare sampledherewere selectedtosuggestsomeofthe 1 We shouldnoticethatthissampler’s of publicationcoincidedwiththeconstruction 50 The Paris Review (1984),co-editedwithBruce Andrews. The gatheringto- , «Calledvariously«language-centered»,«minimal»,«non- (1982),or«43Poets (1984)»,publishedin Tree . 1 Tree Indeed, the supplementary essaywritten Indeed, thesupplementary , «Political Poetries: ABay AreaSam- 13/06/2006, 12:46 Ironwood , thatclearlydis- new Tree , whatever . Bound- The 04.pmd (1994), and«99Poets/1999» publishedin ofPostmodernat theEar: First L=a=n=g=u=a=g=e=P=o=e=t=r=y Audio-Anthology Symposium on/withLanguagePoets» (1989),orCharlesBernstein’s editionsof proceeding inthesamelineare Andrew Ross’s specialissue of to namejustafew, inJames McCorkle’s itage. In anthologies publicized theirconcernsasisexplicitlyvisible, thissense,new rapidly extendedtootherpoetsperceivedasacontinuityofthelanguagepoets’ her- gether ofavant-garde voicesassociatedinsomemeasure withthelanguagegroupwas in thelate20thcentury. Paul Hoover’s edition of Ganick, withSilliman’s ontheinnovative revealing Americanpoeticscene afterword Five Contemporary American Poets Spahr, Mark Wallace, KristinPrevallet andPam Rehm, and poetical practices» (Jarnot 2). poetical practices»(Jarnot to thefactthatwehavemuchlearnfromeachotherandourindividual the dire economicandsocialconditionswhichsurround us,andasincere approach who have«arenewed interest inthecontinuityoftraditionswriting,acritique Chris Stroffolino, ofNew PoeticsAnthology sented acollectionfocusedonthesepoets’ poeticsinhis ofContemporary Americanble: AnPoetry Anthology tial Norton. Edward Foster in inducedspecificreadings ofthispoetry fashion,sinceitwaspublishedby theinfluen- widened theaudienceforthisliterary (1992), and«Poética americana contemporánea»publishedin his book, collection centered onthisgroupin1988,withtextsEnglish andthecorre- approaches. In Japan, themagazine have broughtthelanguagepoetstoanewpublicinterested ininnovative formal France, Jean Pierre Faye editedaspecialissueofthemagazine anthologies.In forthis tendencywiththepublicationofnew gradually accruing (1989), EstebanPujals’ Brito andpublishedinthescholarlyjournal like «Recent AmericanPoetry andPoetics», Price co-editedby Larry &Manuel unknown inthe1970sandearly1980sonlyfollowed byanelite,editions a wholegeneration. Though inSpain thiskindofpoeticpracticewaspractically and theUK ogy, Maggie O’Sullivan focusedonthefemininevoicesofthisgroupinheranthol- language poetsfromAmericaandEnglandinthemagazine inEnglishmagazines.McGann’sguage poetry «Postmodern Poetries» comprised (1991). By the1990s,criticslikeJerome McGann were issuingsamplersoflan- Journoud, wholateralsoeditedtheanthology ets» in «Language Poetry Movement» (1982),followed by «Etats-Unis: Nouveaux Po- Out ofEverywhere: Linguistically Innovative by poetry Women inNorth America Action Poetique In asimilarwayandthroughthesameyears,internationalsympathywas A Suite ofPoetic Voices: withContemporary Interviews American Poets (1996),constitutingacollectionofpreviously dispersednamesfrom An Anthology ofNewAn (American) Anthology Poets 51 (1989),editedbyEmmanuelHocquard andClaudeRoyet- (1998),andco-editorsLisaJarnot, and Leonard Schwartz, La lenguaradical The Minnesota Review A Poetics ofCriticism (1994),co-editedbyDennisBarone andPeter Gendaishi Techo Contemporary AmericanContemporary Poets-Critics (1992),orManuel Brito’s editionsof Boundary 2 Boundary Revista Canaria deEstudios Ingleses 49 +1:Nouveaux Poètes Américains Postmodern American Poetry (1996).ChristopherBeachpre- , «Re-inventing Community:A compiledamulti-authored (1994), co-editedbyJuliana Artifice ofIndeterminacy: An (1999).Othercollections (1998),selectedauthors The Art ofPractice: Forty 13/06/2006, 12:46 Verse Change Nerter (1990),and Primary Trou-Primary , entitled (1999), (1988), (1994) Live

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MANUEL BRITO 52 abstrusiveness of language poetry itself. oflanguagepoetry abstrusiveness tween thevisualeffectsofthislanguageandappropriatelymetaphorizing sponding translationsinJapanese, presenting acurious dialogicexchange be- sistence on the condition of language as an inherent part ofthehumanbeing: sistence ontheconditionoflanguageasaninherent part bytheircommonHeideggerian in- these anthologies—weshouldsuccinctlystart perennial blossoms—multiplerelationalpossibilitiesin theprocessofconstructing language astheagentoftheirsharedthinking»(2-3). living documentoftheauthor’s engagementwiththereader andtheworldthrough isrejectedinfavoroftheproductiona feelings orknowledge— suchpoetry message tothereader, isusedupandcloseduntilthereaderagainseeksmuch that,revealingtext andtheauthor, its —poetry poetry» «WhatIcall«portmanteau rely ontheinherentrecognizability oflanguageasamediatingfactorbetweenthe essayto thology onamore genericthoughtinhisintroductory how thiscanbebestaccomplished»(xix-xx).However, Messerli groundedhisan- is thatyoumustchangeyourlife,thisanthologyoffersnosingleprescription asto involved. Yet, ofthesepoetstoapossibleornormativereader ifthecollectivethrust business,andatestamenttothepower remains ofthewriting important poetry formbeperceivedasathreat,curiousverificationthat is intriguingthatanart aparadoxicalproximity betweenthetextandreader,succeeds infurthering «It issues inhisintroductionto human actions.Meanwhile, Silliman wascompletelyaware oftheseproblematic obscurities. of The effectismuchlikethatofunstablewriting,farfromthefertility frequent useofparataxis,createdastrongsensationemptiness,omissionsand experimentationwiththelineandsentence,aswell narrative structures, ance ofthesignifier, deathoftheauthor, andideology. In formalterms,thelackof objects, discursivepracticeofpoetry, absenceoffinalsignification,textualresist- entered directly intotheconceptsofotherness,objectification—relating words to senting thisoppositionalaesthetics.Drinking fromthesamewaters,theirprojects ing thevitaldialecticbetweenpoliticalandculturalchange»(Kalaidjian323). andtheworld,whilepreserv- While alsoseeking«toclosethegapdividingpoetry ration fromRussian Futurism andMarxism toRoland Barthes’s post-structuralism. tinuing withacriticalpositionmediated,asseenabove, byawidelyrangingexplo- referential ofthesubject,resistance oftheform,andcon- writing,deconstruction issues socharacteristicofthiskindpoetry. Beginningwiththeproblemofnon- academic andcommercialweight.Many readers,nodoubt,weredrawntodifficult nitely helpedtowidenthepublicaudienceandwere backedbypublisherswith Poetries scenes.BothSilliman’sof thesepoetsondiversecontemporary claims thevalueoftheseanthologiesasaconsensualvehicletoextendinfluence canthusbeconsideredasdecisivereferentialcollectionsbecausetheydefi- appearance. Onlythisnamingnominatesbeingstotheirbeing fromoutoftheir Language, bynamingbeingsforthefirsttime,brings toword andto Since bothanthologists’ fullestmethodological approacheswere formedby Let usturntoSilliman’s andMesserli’s intellectualresolutionswhenpre- My characterizationofthishistoricalscenarioandcommunalpracticespro- 52 Tree , inclusively saying that this kind of poetry also , inclusivelysayingthatthiskindofpoetry 13/06/2006, 12:46 Poetries Tree andMesserli’s , tendingto 04.pmd this kind of poetry andpoetics.It waspublishedbyapoetfullyinvolvedinthe this kindofpoetry universities. Ron Silliman’s and acquiredareasonable amountofpower intheacademicmilieuofAmerican anthologies,whichhavetransformedtherecentAmericanpoeticscene guage poetry in therealityofmarket. openly daredtoclearuptherealsignificanceofthispoetic modeuptothenunseen ofAcademiaencapsulated andover-stated andthepublishingindustry. rules They nomic gesture,sinceitwastointroduceanewsequenceofintellectualideasinto ties ofpoets,thepublicationtheseanthologieswasacultural,political,andeco- addressed tocommonreaders,teachingprofession,students,ordiversecommuni- be consideredbyawideraudience.Beingamplyandnationallydistributed, see how ofresistance could thesepoetswere workingandtocheckhow thispoetry Wiater inSeattle (WA). thiskindofanthologywasawaytoreadily Constructing in Silver Spring (MD), Jed RasulaandRon Barnard inBloomington (IN),orMichael inGloucester(MA),Ron Silliman Alpert inOakland(CA),Barry Waltuch andBarrett Watten inIowa City, BobPerelman inCambridge(MA), numerous publications.People likeAlanDaviesinDochester (MA),Michael poeticapproachthrough smaller communities,withindividualsdocumentinganew urban areas likeNew York, San Francisco or Washington D.C.,butotherslivedin gized authorsthroughouttheUnited States. Many ofthemwere fromthemajor aesthetics,butalsoaregionalemergence ofanew widepresence oftheantholo- these twoanthologies,especiallyinthecaseofRon Silliman notonlyreflectedthe value» andsocialidentity»(«Poetry» 63). makes mansocial,crediting«thestrongcorrelationthatexistsbetween«aesthetic anddefendsthatlanguage mediating oftheselfandworld.Silliman goesfurther recuperation» ( which isdefinedthroughitsown defeat,«theradicalnegationofselfisinfactits on themultiplicityofinterpretationandsignificantdecisiveroleself, ever, thedenialofthislinkoutsidelanguagecorrespondswithdeMan’s insistence medium oflanguageindicatesthatitdoesnotexistinactuality»( factthattherelationshiphastobeestablishedwithin to realizethatthevery «Critics whospeakofa«happyrelationship»betweenmatterandconsciousnessfail refusal ofalanguagewhosemainromanticaspirationistocommunewithnature, doxically re-emphasized bythepresenceoflanguage,coincidingwithPaul deMan’s were capableofpresentingtheimpossibilitiesanddifficultieslanguage,para- alternative socialformations»(Silliman, «Poetry» 63).In fact,theseanthologies diverse analyticalformations,«Poetry, inthissense,isatestcaseforthecreationof containasocialsubjectwhosewritingcharacterizes by extensionpoems,virtually inasocialpractice. Words,not onlyobjectsinthemselves,butalsopartaking and of whatitisthatbeingscomeintotheOpenas.(73) being. Such saying Nowadays ofthese twolan- heedtheconstruction weshouldparticularly Following of thissociallyandculturally activistattitude,theconstruction The challengeforthelanguagepoetswastomakeexplicitthatwords were Allegories 53 136). ideahereisthecontinual Though thepertinent

is aprojectingoftheclearing,inwhichannouncementmade Tree canbeconsideredthemostevidentialparadigmfor 13/06/2006, 12:46 Rhetoric 2).How-

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MANUEL BRITO 54 and culturaldevelopmentofthepracticeoffered ments, Silliman created twosectionstoforeground moreclearlythepoetic, social, bine complexfieldssoastodemonstratetheconsistencyofthesepoets’ attain- new by mostofthecritics. ofthistendency,genesis andarticulation andhismeticuloustaskhasbeenpraised strict creative literary productionanditstheoretical foregroundings. strict creativeliterary (xxiii). view,The finalimpression isthathetriestoreducehisobviousindividualpartisan storehousing overtoo complex,«Anthologiesare notfacts,butindividualviewpoints complexfieldsofinformation» it meanstobehuman»(xix). ofthe twentiethcentury,critique isitselfsituatedwithinthelargerquestionofwhat,inlast part inherent intheworkofmany ofthewritershere,withoutacknowledgingdegreetowhichthis reader. Much, perhapstoomuch,hasbeenmadeofthecritiquereference and normativesyntax The shapeandvalueofliteratureitself. The function ofmethod. The relation betweenwriterand of languageintheconstitutioneitherrealm. The natureofmeaning. The substantialityoflanguage. poetics developedintheseessays,«Thenatureofreality. The natureoftheindividual. The function circles oftheLanguageMovement» (6). highlighting Silliman’s achievement,«Sillimanisoneofthemosthighlyrespected writersinthe poetsofthetendency,perceptive toeditit»(87),andJerome McGann whoreactsinthesameterms are Ken Edwards, «It’s thatitfallstoRonSilliman, oneofthemostintelligentand ourgoodfortune Church Poetry Project Writing Workshop, 1971-5—writingonpoetics. consider thatBernadetteMayer co-authorsheressaywithmembersoftheSt. Mark’s collect piecesthatshow thebroadapplicabilityofmorethan23poets—ifwe of theUnited States. In thesecondhalfofthisbook,«Second Front», 129pages cisco asmajorculturalcentersbutalsoincludingpoetsfromotherdiverseregions subdivided betweenEastand West —notonlylimitedtoNew York andSan Fran- two parts. eightpoetsandis presents thecreativeworkofthirty The firstpart 1980s. OneofthemostsignificantdetailsisthatSilliman dividedthisvolumeinto can beseenasanextensionofthesepoets’ diversepracticesinthe1970sandearly workandcriticalwritings.InSilliman thissense,anthology bridgesprimary language poetstodate.It contains628pageswithaninclusiveapproach,since should also notice that a certain academichalowasprovidedshould alsonoticethatacertain tothisanthology, different areasandhisown motivesforselectingpoetswith acriticalinsight.I Realism, Poetry,» exploresthecontinualfunctionalrelationshipsamongpoetsfrom growth ofraisedeyebrows» (xiii);and,secondlyRon Silliman’s preface, «Language, «Flipping outwdbeonealternative/simplyripthecards topieces/amida dense which thesecondstanzaenigmaticallypoisestransformationanddiscontinuities, ductions forthisbook:Firstly, KitRobinson’s poem,«In theAmerican Tree,» in clearexampleofthisare thetwointro- context developedbylanguagepoets.Avery presentation ofthisanthologysharesmanyindicationsaboutform,meaning,and historiographically. We can’t forget tomentionthatthesameformalandstructural completed witha«Contributors»section,drawingthesepoets’ evolution literary 4 3 2 Silliman ananthologyundertheseparametersis himselfrecognizes thattoconstruct Ron essaythemainpointatlevelof Silliman openlypointsoutinhisintroductory Two onthisanthologyandillustrativeexamplesforconsideration specificreviews 54 2

Tree isthelargestanthologydevotedtoworkof 4 . The remainderofthisvolumeis 13/06/2006, 12:46 3 Tocom- 04.pmd this innovative writingaccessibleforbothuntrainedandwell-readaudiences. scene. Within thiscontextbothSilliman andMesserli possessedtheabilitytomake American piling uppoemstoillustratethelatesttransformationsincontemporary writings withthesameconcernsestablishedbySilliman inhisacademicanthology, countries suchasSteve or McCaffery Tom Raworth. anthologies didnotincludepoetsworkinginthesamepoeticlinebutlivingother essay, «Language-centered», inthe«Second Front» sectiondevotedtopoetics. exception ofJackson Mac Low’s work,althoughSilliman includedMac primary Low’s proaches. Allpoetsincluded inMesserli’s anthologyappearedinSilliman’s, withthe be read byheterogeneous audiencespotentiallyconverginginthesepoets’ newap- Directions commercialprintingofthisanthologyprovided to anidealopportunity collaborative work, selectedjournals,anthologies,andgroup translations. The New ics, thoughincludingbibliographicalreferences ontheauthorsandsupplyinglistsof procedure. workby He twentypoets,withnosectionon poet- justselectedprimary —— (1984): D with Academia. Orono guaranteeingthatthesepractitionersdefinitelyenteredintoconversation since itwaspublishedbytheNational Poetry Foundation attheUniversity ofMaine, of suchanextremely largeanthologyfocusedonanelitistpoetic tendency. indicate thatSilliman wasalsoluckytofindamanlikeCarrollF. Terrell thepublication whosupported playwrights EileenCorder andNick Robinson, ornovelist KathyAcker» (xx).Atthispoint,Ishould despite workinginotherdisciplines. These are Hills, «thefilmmakersAbigail ChildandHenry inhisproject, whocouldpotentiallybeparticipants curious thingishisallusiontootherartists volume —characteristicallyenough,amongthemhespecifically proposes Douglas Messerli. The whose writingcouldalsohavebeenselectedforhis other poetsassociatedwiththislineofpoetry inhisintroduction. everywhere thoughtful criteriaforselection.In thissense,kindofmethodologicalstatementsaredispersed publication of«On Speech» Grenier]» [byRobert (xxii). This paragraphalsoshowsSilliman’s of notincludingpersonswhosemature styleandpublicidentitywere firmlyestablishedpriortothe Jackson MacLow andNick Piombino. Mac Low’s presence violatestheabove-mentioned principle Tree both theNational Poetry Foundation andthepublicationof E M , «Two were writtenbypersonswhodonotappearinthefirsttwo sectionsofthebooks, articles AN , Paul (1979): New Haven: YaleUP. However, coincidentallyandsymptomaticoftheAmericannessprinciple,both Douglas Messerli’s methodofcompilationin 7 6 5 Silliman attributesreasonsofspacefortheseexclusions andhementionsatleast86 essayto Silliman justifieshispositiononthismatterinintroductory In thissense,beingthedirector oftheUniversity ofMainePress, thekeymantosupport The RhetoricofRomanticism 5 Allegories ofReading: Figural LanguageinRousseau,Nietzsche, Rilke,andProust 55 WORKS CITED . New York: ColumbiaUP. Tree 7 Messerli’s anthologypresented wasCarrollF. Terrell. Poetries 13/06/2006, 12:46 followed adifferent In theAmerican 6 .

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MANUEL BRITO 56 F S M G E —— (1982):«Realism:AnAnthologyof‘Language’ Writing.» —— (1988):«Political Poetries: ABay Area Sampler M L J H K M —— (1988):«Poetry andthePolitics oftheSubject.» —— (1970):«Fifteen Young Poets oftheSanFrancisco —BayArea.» —— (1975): «The Dwelling Place:9Poets.»—— (1975):«TheDwelling ARNOT ILLIMAN RASER AZER DWARDS ALAIDJIAN LASSGOLD EIDEGGER ESSERLI C C L G AUGHLIN ANN , Hank (1996): , Kathleen(1982):«Partial LocalCoherence/Regions withIllustrations:Some Notes onLan- , Lisa(1982):«Preface.» , Ron (1986): , Douglas(1987): , Ken(1987):Rev. of , Jerome (1987):«Language Writing.» 2 vols. in Postmodern Poetry.» History ofAlternativePublishing intheUnited States.» guage Writing.» Mandeville ofSpecial Collections,University Department ofCalifornia,SanDiego. Schwartz, &ChrisStroffolino.Schwartz, Jersey City: Talisman. 1-2. 71-136. & Row. , Walter (1991):«Transpersonal Poetics: Language Writing andtheHistorical Avant-Gardes , Peter (1986):LettertoRon Silliman.JuneRon 21986. Silliman Papers, 1965-1988. , Martin (1971): , Robert L.(1996):«OppositionalAesthetic/Oppositional, Robert Ideologies: ABriefCultural 56 Issues andInstitutions In theAmerican Tree Ironwood «Language» Poetries: An Anthology Poetry, Language, Thought In theAmerican Tree An Anthology ofNewAn (American) Poets Anthology American Literary History 10.2:122-129. . Evanston: Northwestern UP. Vol. 1of . Orono:NationalPoetry Foundation. Alcheringa London Review ofBooks , byRonSilliman. . » . Trans. Albert Hofstadter. New York: Harper Socialist Review Socialist Review 1.2:104-120. 3.2:319-336. . New York: New Directions. Ironwood Critique 13/06/2006, 12:46 Chicago Review 88.3(July-September): 61-68. 88.3(July-September): 69-81. Reality Studios 9.18(15October):6-8. . Ed.LisaJarnot, Leonard 10.2(Fall): 61-121. 37.3(Spring): 171-187. Opposing Poetries 21.4(Summer): 9:87-90. .