Our contempt for any particular poem must be perfect, be total, because only a ruthless reading that allows us to measure the gap between the actual and the virtual will enable to to experience, if not a genuine poem–no such thing–a place for the genuine, whatever that might mean. Ben Lerner
About This Quote

The ability to evaluate something based on the standards of the worth of the poem is considered as an art. It is a way to decide whether something is good or bad. We are all capable of appreciating art, but not everyone can truly understand it. Then, there are those people who are good at appreciating art, but they don’t have the talent or ability to create it.

The poet above says that he knows what makes a poem good and bad. He cannot experience a true poem since he can’t see his own work as a poem. But he can know what makes a poem good or bad by analyzing it according to particular standards.

Source: The Hatred Of Poetry

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