Letter to the Editor

Abstract

READERS’ FORUM To the Editor: W h il e it is not my usual practice to reply to book reviews, may I request a portion of your valuable space for a few words about Judith Thompson’s recent review of my Poetic Friends? While conceding the importance of my topic, Professor Thompson com­ plains that I offer no “coherent theory” for this study of poeticized literary relations, yet she ignores my opening and closing statements of theoretical stance borrowed from Blake’s equation of “corporeal friends” and “spiritual enemies.” I suppose it depends on whether or not one capitalizes (on) the word “theory.” In her third paragraph Thompson remarks: “What Stevenson means by ‘forming’ appears to differ among the sections. In the first two sections he is concerned with the transformation of a conflict-laden relationship into dramatic, symbolic, or mythic terms, as, for example, in his reading of ... Blake’s Jerusalem. ... In the final, less successful section, forming appears to be a simple synonym for portraying or influencing, as in the statement that Shelley formed [my actual words were ‘helped to “form” ’] Byron by ‘dosing’ him with Wordsworth. ... ” This glib analysis — the romantics were never simple in their portrayals — totally ignores my discussions of dra­ matic conflict in Julian and Maddalo and mythic transformation in Adonais. Thompson also slights the tripartite pairing of Byron, Shelley, and Keats within the third section, except for a glance at my discussion of The Island and Lamia, wherein the transformation she finds missing is largely inter­ nalized as a stylistic contest that makes Byron and Keats look almost like spiritual friends. Finally, Thompson thrice refers to my book as “eccentric” ; I take this as an accolade, given the counter-romantic temper of our times. Warren Stevenson University of British Columbia E n g l i s h S t u d i e s i n C a n a d a , 21, 4, December 1995 ...