For the past thirty years or so, much American poetry has been marked by an earnestness that rejects the comic. This has nothing to do with seriousness. The comic can be very serious. The trouble with the earnest is that it seeks to be commended. It seeks to be praised for its intention more than for what it is saying. Stephen Dobyns
About This Quote

American poet Robert Lowell said “there is no such thing as serious poetry.” He believed that poetry should be enjoyable and that the goal of all art is to make people happy. You never know when you may encounter a line or two that will make you laugh or cry, but in the end it's all part of the journey.

Source: Next Word, Better Word: The Craft Of Writing Poetry

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More Quotes By Stephen Dobyns
  1. One writes a poem when one is so taken up by an emotional concept that one is unable to remain silent.
  2. For the past thirty years or so, much American poetry has been marked by an earnestness that rejects the comic. This has nothing to do with seriousness. The comic can be very serious. The trouble with the earnest is that it seeks to be commended....
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