From stinko to Devo (1 Viewer)

Posting a lead to this review as an example of academic criticism [2009], in this case of "The Continual Condition, by Charles Bukowski, edited by John Martin" -- Logan most likely had no idea of Martin's editing influence, which makes for interesting background to reading the whole piece, which is reprinted in Logan's book Guilty Knowledge, Guilty Pleasure: The Dirty Art of Poetry. I don't agree with Logan's attitude, but I find it fascinating how a capable critic can be marred by prejudices. (His survey of Frost, 'The Other Other Frost', is worth seeking out if you are compelled to read such).
 
You'll have to elaborate since that article is behind a paywall and I'm not sure how many people are going to pay $3 for the privilege of reading it.
 
Sure, let me add that I found Logan's book at my local library, so no need to pay.

Overall his attitude exhibits what I call 'class sniffing', that is, his main aim is to sniff out Buk's place in the American socio-economic class hierarchy in order to explain his work as a kind of slum writing that fails to be literary. Well...

He implies that other 'intelligent tourists' of the depths pulled this off because of their superior background. 'What [Buk] lacked in literary grace he made up in pulp sensibility -- few have written as badly as Bukowski and still had something to say' and so on.

He gives excerpts of two poems without bothering to name them, one beginning with it has been a satisfactory night and the other "do you like me?" she asked, in his judgment that Buk was nothing but a 'hard-boiled hack, even after he moved to a good neighborhood' (yes he wrote that)

I'm only picking out that particular theme because it's representative of academic disapproval -- annoying to be sure -- that Martin's attempt at polishing coudn't deflect. Maybe it even invites more of it.
 
I think there's also envy in play, envy that Buk commented on in his letters especially. One of the reasons I read Buk is that is he not academic or concerned with maintaining class status.
 

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