The roles of critic and poet are merged in a poetic space that engenders a work which expands the tradition of Shelley's "A Defense of Poetry" and counters the smug extremes of T. S. Eliot. Foster's preface, "Poetry Has Nothing To Do With Politics" is a refreshing reaction to critics who suggest that their reductions of meaning-generation processes in the poem are more important that the poem itself. This is a welcome diatribe--we're getting used to seeing Language poets people-pulped by Tiannamen Square vintage critical tanks who have little or no love for the poetry itself, they only want to smash the work into their own agendas. Foster's poetry resists critical appropriation by refusing to confine itself to a single form or prosodic arrangement. This is negative capability taken to a new level & it feels good--like flight-simulating G-forces in a jet built for oblivion.--Susan Smith Nash
This review originally appeared in TapRoot Reviews #5,
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