Abstract
In Words nd Ends from Ez (1989), Jackson Mac Low systematically reads the letters of the name E-Z-R-A P-O-U-N-D through The Cantos , reducing Pound’s source text to fragments in an attempt to generate a power-free poem. Using Heidegger’s notion of power from his later writings, I argue that Mac Low’s procedural method starts off as a reading process, and when operating as such, it actually succeeds in neutralizing textual power. However, when Mac Low publishes the work, textual power is reestablished, with Mac Low occupying the empowered authorial position. Rather than treating his work as an “egoless” object of meditation, readers almost exclusively interpret Words nd Ends from Ez through Mac Low’s biography, perceived intention, and/or procedural process. This importantly shows that authorial and textual power not only arise from the actual author and textual form, but also are a product of the reading process that ascribes ownership and control of the text to the author.
Published Version
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