The Phlattery of the Ekphrastic

Wright, David. “I Swear I Use no Art at all.” Poetry, Poetics, and the Arts. 23 April 2008. 23 April 2008 .

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For the first time (to my knowledge), one of my tacky, quirky Shakespeare posters has become the subject of . . . or inspiration for? . . . a poem—and one that is neither tacky nor quirky, though it addresses such subjects. The poem’s author is David Wright, and the poem is ekphrastic in nature. [The poet may also be ekphrastic in nature, but that’s another story.]

I’ve seen some art on the commodification of art—the sheer number of items on which the image of the Mona Lisa appears boggles the mind! And I’ve always considered my “Shakespeare Action Hero” figure to have a similar degree of irony behind it.

I think David Wright’s poem has the same irony and detachment. Witness these lines:

I am soothing my inner Iago, Gertrude, Goneril,
am nothing more than a fishmonger

with a little plastic genius in my pocket. (13-15)

Ouch! Beautiful.

And here's the full poem.

Thanks, DW!

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