Marjorie Perloff (1931–2024)

Spirited and convincing defense of "difficult" schools of poetry (Language poetry, Oulipo, Cage's mesostics, etc.). When I first read this, in 1998, it dramatically broadened my thinking on poetry and put me on an entirely different path as a writer—it's safe to say that this book literally changed my life. Some of the writing on media has dated a bit since its publication in 1994, but otherwise this book is still vital critical reading.

Opaque writers of the twentieth century (Stein, Beckett, etc) appreciated through the lens of Wittgenstein's linguistic investigations. The parallels are sometimes rather oblique, but lit-geeks who want a primer on Wittgenstein could do far worse.

worth reading and working through for many reasons. my problem is that perloff works so hard to relate everything to TS Eliot. it takes some doing, you know. i don't know if i buy it.

A not-very-helpful review—but I love Marjorie Perloff.