Farrell forces us
to
confront the old
idea that writing is as much situa–
tion as it is technique and that to
do it honestly one is simply going
to
have to fight for his own terrain.
In
Studs,
Farrell did exactly that.
ALICIA OSTRIKER: Paul Good–
man,
Collected Poems
(ed . Taylor
Stohr, memoir by George Denni–
son, Random House, 1973) . For
those who, like myself, treasure
Goodman the other side idolatry
and believe that the verse is the
essence of the man . The volume is
loosely arranged by themes rather
than chronologically, and this ar–
rangement is largely that of Good–
man himself, who was working on
it at the time of his death . As a
result, we find for example, a son–
net dated 1939 two pages after one
dated 1970, and a piece from 1953
among the last few pages. The edi–
tion also retains Goodman's latest
revisions, which, like Wordsworth's,
are not necessarily felicitous. " The
Lordly Hudson," as one instance ,
has been mutilated by his altering
"Be still, heart . ..
Be
quiet, heart"
to
"Be still, man . .. be patient,
Paul," which may gain colloquial
immediacy, but loses rhetorical
power. On the other hand the
aficionado
will be glad to find that
there are many previously unpub–
lished pieces, that the work is
handsomely printed, and that the
memoir by George Dennison is
excellent.
Bryn Mawr
BARGAINS IN USED BOOKS
SOLD FOR THE BENEFIT OF
BRYN MAWR ALUMNAE
REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Donations may
be
left during shop hours
or by appointment. All donations are
tax deductible.
HOURS: Thurs.,Fri ., Sat.- 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
July
&
August: Thurs. - 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
BRYN MAWR BOOK SHOP
502 East 79th Street near York Avenue
New York City - (212) 744·7682
