What can you tell me about 'Poe(t)heory'?

June 18, 2008 9:51 AM

What can you tell me about 'Poe(t)heory'?

I have found little online regarding Poetheory, but it seems to be interchangable with the title 'Theorypo'. How separate a distinction is it from merely 'postmodern theory and poetry'? What sources of info should I be seeking?

Marjorie Perloff and Peter Jaeger are names that crop up regarding poetheory. Anyone else you know of or any related disciplines/schools/concepts?

Thanks

posted by 0bvious to writing & language (3 comments total)

linda hutcheons work come to mind...'The Politics of Postmodernism'
posted by clavdivs at 10:09 AM on June 18, 2008

It's a neologism for the combination of (mostly avant-garde or "post-avant") poetry/poetics and postmodern theory. It's possible that one reason you haven't found much online is that the term itself isn't used terribly often. There's been an awful lot written and thought about the set of concerns the term describes, though.

You might start with Ron Silliman's blog if you're interested in this sort of thing. I'd also recommend Jacket Magazine. And there are any number of books dealing with postmodern theory and poetics. In addition to Perloff, I'd start by checking out The Constructivist Moment by Barrett Watten and stuff by the L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E folks in general.
posted by Hypocrite_Lecteur at 11:27 AM on June 18, 2008

For a formalist poetics approach, read Brian McHale's work, especially Constructing Postmodernism and Postmodernist Fiction.
Not sure what he'd think of such an awful portmanteau word as "poetheory" although he did write an article once called "PostCyberModernPunkIsm"...
posted by media_itoku at 6:03 PM on June 18, 2008