Nodding in Jonathan Mayhew’s Direction
Posted on January 21, 2007
Filed Under Poetry |
Jonathan, as usual, right about this:
… “prosody… ‘the science of versification; that part of the study of language which deals with the forms of metrical composition,’ to cite the OED’s definition–has largely disappeared from English-language poetry.”
Wouldn’t that be like saying that herpetology has disappeared from snakes? I speak a language, but I am not a linguist. Would it make sense to say that linguistics has largely disappeared from my speech? Prosody is the branch of linguistics which deals with rhythm and intonation and the like, and also with the specific applications of phonology in literature: poetic meter and rhythm, for example. Most poets have never been theoretical linguists. It is possible that they have held mistaken theories of prosody but still produced excellent verse. I am really scratching my head to figure out what the assertion that “prosody … has disappeared from poetry” might possibly mean.
He then goes on to make specific comments about the prosody of recent poetry, arguing that there is a a prevalence of rhythm over meter. In other words, he is talking about something that, according to his initial premise, does not exist in the first place! isn’t the relation between meter and rhythm in poetry a matter for prosodists to discuss?
Etiquetas: Timothy Steele is an idiot.
And since he’s right, I’m happy to see that he is doing so well:
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas Associate Professor of Spanish Jonathan Mayhew got a five-year contract extension Thursday that bumps up his annual compensation to more than $1.3 million.
Under the deal, which began retroactively on April 1 and goes through March 2011, Mayhew will be paid $220,000 in salary with additional payments for professional services, public relations and promotional duties — boosting his annual compensation to $1.375 million. He could make an additional $350,000 per year if he meets certain incentives.
He was previously paid $129,380 in annual salary.
“I am excited because we love it here at KU,” Mayhew said. “We love the students in our program, we love the direction that we’re going and we love the people that we work with. We’re very excited to be a part of it for at least five more years.”
Also in the deal is a retention agreement that would pay Mayhew an additional $225,000 for each year of the extension, effectively bumping his annual salary to just over $1.6 million if he’s still an Associate Professor through March 2011. Mayhew wouldn’t receive the extra money until then.
Comments
One Response to “Nodding in Jonathan Mayhew’s Direction”
Very much enjoyed the time I spent here…as a poet and an avid reader, I found it enriching as well as intresting I especially enjoyed your thoughts on Mayhew. I thank you…