What is Conceptual Poetry? Revised

Here is a revised version of my first long essay:

During the progression of this course, I frequently find myself asking the question, “what is conceptual poetry?” and the even more burning question, “what’s the point?” Reading different texts and poetry every day, it seems that conceptual writing is pointless, even boring. Beginning the course with several works by Goldsmith, there was some shock at the types of writing he produced. As an individual who has never been exposed to conceptual writing, it is difficult to accept it as a legitimate form of writing. There is a parallel discussion to the validity of conceptual writing, which explores the meaning of art and what makes something fall into the category of art. This discussion includes works such as Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Duchamp’s “Fountain”, which are seemingly everyday objects that are placed into the category of art. Objects such as a can of tomato soup and a urinal can be arguably lacking in artistic because they are not creative. On the other end, some may consider these object art because they are placed in a different context-a painting or an art museum. Similarly, conceptual works such as Goldsmith’s “Soliloquy” and “Day” can be discussed in the same way, questioning whether or not conceptual writing can be considered creative writing. As the questions of what conceptual poetry is and its significance become more prevalent while reading conceptual works, the answers to these questions can be found through exploration of texts by authors such as Way and Philip to define conceptual poetry as a type of writing that uses appropriation to change the meaning of text into something else that is sometimes difficult to determine. Through exploring works such as M. NourbeSe Philip’s Zong!, the significance of conceptual writing can be defined as recontextualizing in order to give the same text a different meaning in a different context to get a specific point across. Conceptual writing is difficult to understand because it is not as simple to find significance in text that is sometimes seemingly mundane and boring.

An interesting poet named Nyein Way writes conceptual poetry as well as explores and defines the idea of conceptual poetry. His poem entitled “What is Conceptual Poetry?” is an intriguing piece that defines conceptual writing while also functioning as a piece of conceptual writing in itself.  An excerpt from the poem presents an accurate definition of conceptual poetry:

C) Dimensions of conceptual poetry: 
1]structural[pretext, context, text and post-text human condition]
2]functional [meaning, understanding, communication of message or information]
3]spiritual[ideas, fancy, imagination, emotion machine](Poemhunter.com)

The format of the writing, the inclusion of letters and numbers, makes it seem like Way has simply copied the definition of the word ‘conceptual’ from a dictionary or a textbook. This process fits the method of other famous authors such as Goldsmith, whose famous poem “Day” involves him copying every single word verbatim from a newspaper. The structural element means that conceptual poetry has a structure and process that went into creating it. The functional aspect means that there is a new context and message that the author is trying to convey with this new context and interpretations it might lend itself to. It is also interesting to note that Way defines conceptual poetry as having a “functional meaning” and being “spiritual”. This adds to the fact that conceptual writing has some meaning and purpose. This meaning can be anything, no matter how boring the piece may seem. Although it may be difficult to see the purpose of conceptual poetry, it takes some searching to find the significance of it. This fact allows one to further appreciate conceptual poetry as art. The artistic aspect of it is to force the reader to dig deeper and analyze the reason for its existence. “What is Conceptual Poetry?” does a good job at answering the question of what conceptual poetry is by literally defining it and allowing the interpretation that it has a spiritual aspect.

            A piece of writing that we are currently reading in class that has a special meaning is Zong! by M. NourbeSe Philip. Zong! is a book of poetry that encompasses the event of the Zong massacre. The poems use letters and words from the documented court case. This conceptual writing has struck me as meaningful because it is easier to find its significance, unlike a majority of Goldsmith’s conceptual poetry. The purpose is to “lock myself [Philip] into this particular and peculiar discursive landscape in the belief that the story of these African men, women, and children thrown overboard in an attempt to collect insurance monies, the story that can only be told by not telling, is locked in this text.” (Philip 191). Conversely, what is the purpose of Goldsmith’s “Soliloquy”? It takes more interpretation and work to determine what the significance is. An article on the Jacket 2 discusses Zong! and gives a new perspective on its place in the conceptual realm. The article explains that Philip acknowledges the fact that Zong! is conceptual due to the “erasure of the author, apparent appropriation of found text working within a rigidly defined set of rules, its composition is inextricably linked to the computer.” (Jacket 2). This process, also known as constraint, is seen throughout Zong! with a large amount of repetition and structure. There is, however, another element to the book that makes it more appealing than the traditional conceptual writing, and that is “something that underlies and emerges within the text that she [Philip] calls “spiritual,” for lack of a more satisfying term.” (Jacket 2). This “spiritual” element is what makes Zong! more interesting and less mundane. Zong! is clearly conceptual writing because it takes text and places it in a new context in order to give it a different meaning. It is interesting that the text from the court case is changed so much to tell a different story with a radically different purpose than the original text. Fitting the definition of conceptual writing, the “spiritual” element of Zong! makes it easier to determine a purpose for writing, which shows the significance of conceptual poetry.

            It is very striking to note that the “spiritual” element of Zong! is also mentioned in Way’s definition of conceptual in “What is Conceptual Poetry?” Other words similar to spiritual used by Way are “ideas, fancy, imagination, emotion machine” (Poemhunter.com). It is intriguing that the Jacket 2 article conveys that the evident spiritual element of Zong! makes it a little different from conceptual writing, juxtaposed to Way’s “What is Conceptual Poetry?” that includes the word spiritual in his definition of conceptual poetry. This contradiction emphasizes the fact that conceptual poetry has varying definitions and meanings to each individual. Jacket 2 explains that

the contours of conceptual poetry are still very much in flux. The visibility of a work like Zong! within the field of vision of this debate may push critics and scholars to work beyond notions of “pure” and “impure” commitments to certain rigidly process-based notions of conceptualism, to develop a working definition that can accommodate broader, more (w)holistic approaches (Jacket 2).

With that being said, maybe Zong! is a little more enjoyable than other conceptual works I have been exposed to because my definition of conceptual writing is different than someone else’s. Writing is an art form that has to do something emotionally or provoke my thoughts and stir my spirit. Art is a very profound form of expression where everyone can look at it a little differently. Jacket 2 is correct in saying that conceptual writing should have a “working definition” and it should be very open to different interpretations, as should any type of writing or self-expression. This fact puts conceptual writing in perspective, allowing us to see the significance of it. Conceptual writing is a different form of writing that is worthwhile to read and interpret, even if it may not seem so. The purpose of Goldsmith’s “Day” is not to read the entire thing, but to read small sections and be able to appreciate it as a recontextualization of language. Goldsmith’s “Day” is significant, as all other conceptual writing, because it changes the way we think of the same text, it is telling a different story about a newspaper than the newspaper would itself. It is so interesting because this text already exists, it is simply being recycled and reused to create something else that is worth reading.

            My mind has been expanded, my comfort zone has been tested, and my opinion on art and writing has been changed forever. Ever since being initially exposed to conceptual writing, there is a new appreciation level for writing in general. After the initial shock and skepticism, I have learned to accept and embrace novel ideas and forms of expression in terms of conceptual writing. As for the questions that I struggle with when exploring conceptual writing and its significance, these works by Way and Philip presented above help in answering those questions. Way helps define conceptual poetry as a recontextualization of language, which changes the meaning of it into something spiritual and functional. An example of this is Zong!, which shows how changing the context of a certain text can tell a radically different story and have a totally different meaning and purpose.

Here is a link to Way's poem "What is Conceptual Poetry?" http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/what-is-conceptual-poetry/%E2%80%8B

Works Cited

"Nyein Way - Chief Cultural Advisor & Literary Faculty." Theatre for Humanity. N.p., n.d.          Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://theatreforhumanity.info/new-yangon-theatre   institut/biographies--new-yangon/nyein-way---chief-cultural.html>.

Philip, Marlene Nourbese. Zong! Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP, 2008. Print.

Poem, Nyein Way. "What Is Conceptual Poetry?" Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb.         2015. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/what-is-conceptual-poetry/%E2%80%8B>.

Shockley, Evie. "Is 'Zong!' Conceptual Poetry? Yes, It Isn't." Jacket 2. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://jacket2.org/article/zong-conceptual-poetry-yes-it       isn%E2%80%99t>.