However, I really enjoyed two of the poems from A Capella we were assigned to read.
As far as Julia Kasdorf's Mennonites go, it's the one I enjoy the least, though there is definitely a lot of appeal in how relatable the subject matter is, which can also be said of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Kasdorf uses such strong images while also spanning a lot of Mennonite history.
My favorite, Jeff Gundy's poem How to Write the New Mennonite Poem does a lot of really nice things playing with humor and parody. While sometimes I felt like the humor was getting a little base ("...many dead Mennonites were really good. Work in two or three. Dirk Willems is hot this year.") I thought Gundy mostly succeeded in writing a Mennonite poem that both addressed the now-cliches of Mennonite-ism, but also turned them on their head, working in the new stereotypes, drinking exotic coffee, granola, the Peace Tax Fund.
Of the trio of poems, I found David Wright's to be the least relatable, and therefore the one I enjoyed the least. However, it is interesting in that Wright is a Mennonite in a way that is unfamiliar to me, and that is intriguing.
One of the major things these poems brought up in my mind was the issue of audience. THere are many instances in both Gundy and Kasdorf's poems, as well as in MLBD where I feel as though the author is pandering to an audience outside of the Mennonite world, trying through a certain type of humor that I can't quite put a word to (Janzen doing the check-box thing, Gundy talking about liking sex, etc) to make people besides Mennonites like them. Though, of course, I could just be hypersensitive.
(I love this picture of Gundy, and it makes me like his poem even more)
It is hard for me to decide which of the three poems I like best. I like them all for different reasons. I like how Gundy's makes fun of Kasdorf's or more, seeks to point out Mennonite stereotypes that are getting a little out of hand. I think he means to say that not all Mennonites are the same and he wants some originality. I think his audience is strictly Mennonite because non-Mennonites have never heard of Dirk Willems or Fraktur or borscht. Again, I don't think any of his poem is meant to be taken seriously. It is picking fun at how all Mennonites tell the same stories. Although, I have to say I do like Wright's better because he gets the same message across but without the sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteIn Kasdorf’s and Gundy’s poems and MLBD, there are strong enough images that can relate to non-Mennonites. I found it interesting that with some of these Mennonite writers, I (who am not religious) was able to relate to these writers on the simple use of imagery. Just like in Kasdorf's poem where it mentions that Mennonites do not dance, it reminded me of the movie Footloose and a specific scene from the movie.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I get what you're saying about both Gundy and Janzen saying really shockingly edgy (for Mennonites) things. It seems like they're trying to prove to non-Mennonites that either they personally, or Mennonites in general, don't fall into the prudish, naive Mennonite stereotype--that they can be as cool and worldly as the mainstream. While I think it's good to acknowledge that Mennonites are not all plain, moral, unworldly people, I'm not sure if this is the best way to express that. It seems kind of defensive and inauthentic, sneaking these little comments in for shock value. When we're writing, I don't think we should be trying really hard to portray ourselves in a certain way--this intentionality seems like it might interfere with the creativity of simply expressing what comes to us honestly and truely. I remember talking in a Women in Literature class about how you can often tell in Charlotte Bronte's writing that she is writing out of an angry place, trying to prove that she as a woman is worthy to be an author, and that kind of detracts from the narrative itself. I feel like this is sort of what Gundy and Janzen are doing.
ReplyDeleteI thought your comment about Mennonites "pandering" to non-Mennonites was right on. It is a perfect way to describe a very common thing in ethnic poetry (that I had been unable to articulate before reading this). Good notice, and thanks for getting that off the tip of my tongue.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that picture of Jeff. It makes responding to your post almost irresistible! The picture was taken in the Boundary Waters, near Wilderness Wind, when Jeff did a canoeing and writing workshop a couple of years ago. It makes him look like some sort of magical character;-) Good discussion on audience, and Mennonite humor--to let others know that "we are just folks too," to use Gundy's phrase.
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