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The Resource Chinese whispers : poems, by John Ashbery

Chinese whispers : poems, by John Ashbery

Creator
Summary
Chinese Whispers is the British name of a game called Telephone in America. According to a certain "Professor Hoffmann" in his book Drawing Room Amusements (1879), "the participants are arranged in a circle, and the first player whispers a story or message to the next player, and so on round the circle. The original story is then compared with the final version, which has often changed beyond recognition." "Chinese Whispers" is also the superb title poem in this new collection of sixty-three poems by John Ashbery. In these works, as perhaps in much poetry, the verbal nucleus that is the original incitement toward a poem undergoes twists and modulations before arriving at its final form. The changes are caused not by careless listening to the speech of others, but by endlessly proliferating trains of ideas that a single word or phrase ignites in the poet's mind. These alter the face of the poem even as they contribute to it and become part of its fabric. As in a sea change the poem has been transformed, often into "something rich and strange," but the strangeness is that of thought being opened up, like a geode, to reveal unexpected facets of meaning.--Publisher's description
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
viii, 100 pages
Contents
  • A nice presentation
  • The Variorum edition
  • The sleeping animals
  • Disclaimer
  • Disagreeable glimpses
  • Theme park days
  • In whatever mode
  • From the diary of a mole
  • Too much sleep is bad
  • The big idea
  • Why not sneeze?
  • A sweet place
  • View of Delft
  • Postilion of autumn
  • This deuced cleverness
  • Unpolished segment
  • Mordred
  • The lightning conductor
  • I asked Mr. Dithers whether it was time yet he said no to wait
  • Haven't heard anything
  • Chinese whispers
  • In the time of pussy willows
  • The American
  • The seventies
  • All that now
  • Truth gleams
  • Little sick poem
  • A man clamored
  • Local legend
  • Meet me tonight in dreamland
  • Ornery fish
  • Portrait with a goat
  • The decals in the hallway
  • Echolalia rag
  • The evening of Greuze
  • As umbrellas follow rain
  • Under cellophane
  • Reminiscences of Norma
  • Obsidian house
  • Oh evenings
  • Intricate fasting
  • Alone, I
  • Winter daydreams
  • Runway
  • Random jottings of an old man
  • Her cardboard lover
  • Moon, moon
  • Syllabus
  • On his reluctance to take down the Christmas ornaments
  • The business of falling asleep
  • Hints and fragments
  • If you ask me
  • The haves
  • Like air, almost
  • The blessed way out
  • Sight to behold
  • Prisoner's base
  • The business of falling asleep (2)
  • Real time
  • Heavenly days
  • Sir Gammer Vans
Isbn
9780374122577
Instance
Label
Chinese whispers : poems
Title
Chinese whispers
Title remainder
poems
Statement of responsibility
by John Ashbery
Creator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
Chinese Whispers is the British name of a game called Telephone in America. According to a certain "Professor Hoffmann" in his book Drawing Room Amusements (1879), "the participants are arranged in a circle, and the first player whispers a story or message to the next player, and so on round the circle. The original story is then compared with the final version, which has often changed beyond recognition." "Chinese Whispers" is also the superb title poem in this new collection of sixty-three poems by John Ashbery. In these works, as perhaps in much poetry, the verbal nucleus that is the original incitement toward a poem undergoes twists and modulations before arriving at its final form. The changes are caused not by careless listening to the speech of others, but by endlessly proliferating trains of ideas that a single word or phrase ignites in the poet's mind. These alter the face of the poem even as they contribute to it and become part of its fabric. As in a sea change the poem has been transformed, often into "something rich and strange," but the strangeness is that of thought being opened up, like a geode, to reveal unexpected facets of meaning.--Publisher's description
Member of
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1927-2017
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Ashbery, John
Index
no index present
Literary form
non fiction
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • American poetry
  • American poetry
Label
Chinese whispers : poems, by John Ashbery
Instantiates
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
A nice presentation -- The Variorum edition -- The sleeping animals -- Disclaimer -- Disagreeable glimpses -- Theme park days -- In whatever mode -- From the diary of a mole -- Too much sleep is bad -- The big idea -- Why not sneeze? -- A sweet place -- View of Delft -- Postilion of autumn -- This deuced cleverness -- Unpolished segment -- Mordred -- The lightning conductor -- I asked Mr. Dithers whether it was time yet he said no to wait -- Haven't heard anything -- Chinese whispers -- In the time of pussy willows -- The American -- The seventies -- All that now -- Truth gleams -- Little sick poem -- A man clamored -- Local legend -- Meet me tonight in dreamland -- Ornery fish -- Portrait with a goat -- The decals in the hallway -- Echolalia rag -- The evening of Greuze -- As umbrellas follow rain -- Under cellophane -- Reminiscences of Norma -- Obsidian house -- Oh evenings -- Intricate fasting -- Alone, I -- Winter daydreams -- Runway -- Random jottings of an old man -- Her cardboard lover -- Moon, moon -- Syllabus -- On his reluctance to take down the Christmas ornaments -- The business of falling asleep -- Hints and fragments -- If you ask me -- The haves -- Like air, almost -- The blessed way out -- Sight to behold -- Prisoner's base -- The business of falling asleep (2) -- Real time -- Heavenly days -- Sir Gammer Vans
Control code
49531005
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
viii, 100 pages
Isbn
9780374122577
Lccn
2002025016
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)49531005
Label
Chinese whispers : poems, by John Ashbery
Publication
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
A nice presentation -- The Variorum edition -- The sleeping animals -- Disclaimer -- Disagreeable glimpses -- Theme park days -- In whatever mode -- From the diary of a mole -- Too much sleep is bad -- The big idea -- Why not sneeze? -- A sweet place -- View of Delft -- Postilion of autumn -- This deuced cleverness -- Unpolished segment -- Mordred -- The lightning conductor -- I asked Mr. Dithers whether it was time yet he said no to wait -- Haven't heard anything -- Chinese whispers -- In the time of pussy willows -- The American -- The seventies -- All that now -- Truth gleams -- Little sick poem -- A man clamored -- Local legend -- Meet me tonight in dreamland -- Ornery fish -- Portrait with a goat -- The decals in the hallway -- Echolalia rag -- The evening of Greuze -- As umbrellas follow rain -- Under cellophane -- Reminiscences of Norma -- Obsidian house -- Oh evenings -- Intricate fasting -- Alone, I -- Winter daydreams -- Runway -- Random jottings of an old man -- Her cardboard lover -- Moon, moon -- Syllabus -- On his reluctance to take down the Christmas ornaments -- The business of falling asleep -- Hints and fragments -- If you ask me -- The haves -- Like air, almost -- The blessed way out -- Sight to behold -- Prisoner's base -- The business of falling asleep (2) -- Real time -- Heavenly days -- Sir Gammer Vans
Control code
49531005
Dimensions
24 cm
Edition
1st ed.
Extent
viii, 100 pages
Isbn
9780374122577
Lccn
2002025016
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
(OCoLC)49531005

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Genre

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