November 27th 2005
Saw Greg, Catherine and Carl last Friday. I read out 'The Drunkenness of Noah' and was grilled about the split chronology and the geography - why is it New Orleans? Isn't that a superficial appropriateion of a recent new story, given that last week the poem took place in Boston, Masachessetts. Well yes, I suppose it is. But I need a modern flood to make it clear to Noah that God has gone back on his promise. I need a modern Ararat - and a high place in a city does this job and is sufficiently different from the Biblical location.
Went to hear Sophie Lycouris speak about interdisciplinary research. Realised I'm dipping into several disciplines already: gender studies, art criticism - and is the writing of poetry a discipline? 'Versification'?? I've got to give the form(s) of my writing more precedence in the title of my PhD. 'An investigation, through the writing of poetry, into the male body as a locus of desire, aesthetics and identity' seems to put all the weight on the male body - the writing just happens to be the method of the investigation.
'Writing poetry to interrogate...' 'Towards a masculine poetics...' mmm
