February 14


D.H. Lawrence wrote a Preface for a book that had already been out and in circulation.  His reasoning was that it gave readers a time with the book to figure out for themselves what exactly the book meant.  It is almost condescending that he is writing this preface later.  It is as if he is saying, "for those of you who weren't smart enough to figure this out... here you go."  This preface is very interesting in that most of it sounds like a free-verse poem.  The words used and comparisons made are very interesting.  The word nude is used several times.  It is referring to honesty and openness.  Free-verse is compared to birds and fire.  When a bird is in the wind and in flight, it is in that moment free.  Free-verse allows writers to be spontaneous and flexible like a flame.  Walt Whitman is introduced in this preface.  It is said that Whitman is so close to that urgent moment that he is so neat the quick that poets that strive to make a proper free-verse fear his ability to be so close to this "perfection".

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