You don't mean you let Dan Hoy's essay "explain Flarf" to you, do you? It's up to you of course, but it is by no means my recommendation. The best thing you can do, as a start, is to read the selection of poems in Jacket 30.
I don't think Flarf collage or satire (and certainly not a satire of its Internet sources). Albers' "interaction studies" were not collages of their sources, and certainly not satirical.
But I'm in the minority here. Even some of the poets and some their blurbs are taking the irony/satire line. And as a first approximation maybe satirical collage is not so far off.
Still, I think the most powerful effect of Flarf is the one you take "straight".
Just a quick worry on my part here:
ReplyDeleteYou don't mean you let Dan Hoy's essay "explain Flarf" to you, do you? It's up to you of course, but it is by no means my recommendation. The best thing you can do, as a start, is to read the selection of poems in Jacket 30.
I've got a piece in Fascicle that addresses the collage-like nature of Flarf.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fascicle.com/issue01/Poets/basbollcheese.htm
I don't think Flarf collage or satire (and certainly not a satire of its Internet sources). Albers' "interaction studies" were not collages of their sources, and certainly not satirical.
But I'm in the minority here. Even some of the poets and some their blurbs are taking the irony/satire line. And as a first approximation maybe satirical collage is not so far off.
Still, I think the most powerful effect of Flarf is the one you take "straight".