bukowski & slang : in which poem did he use the most slang?! (1 Viewer)

[BigEasy666]

hi there,

bukowski used some slang here and there in his works, but
i?m looking for a perfect example to use at my studies...
i will do a presentation about SLANG LANGUAGE and thought about
using one of buk?s poems as an example...good idea??

as i am from germany and read most of his stuff in german translation,
i would recommend any help ;-)

hope to hear from you, tim

 

[cirerita]

it takes moxie to do this :D

 

[Rekrab]

Without having studied it, my impression is that he generally avoided slang. He seemed to prefer language that would be understood at all times, in all elements of society. In a sense, his writing is oddly formal at times, with the ocassional obscenity thrown in for flavor. But look at the word choice, the diction. It's not dumb street talk; it's often literary language. He was well-read, if self educated, and had a vast store of literary models to draw from. Going easy on the slang has helped keep his work fresh decades after being written. He knew that using too much slang would nail him to a specific time and place and crowd, and that when the world moved on, it would leave his work behind if he overdid it.

(wife is telling me to mow the lawn now...)

David