I saw this morning in the New York Times’ feature “On This Day” that today is the birthday of
Robert Service (1874-1958), whom they identified as “Canadian verse writer.”
Verse writer? Not poet? I remember reading some Robert
Service in school, and it appeared to be poetry to me.
The word verse has
many definitions, but in all of the references I consulted, the definition that
was at or near the top was something like “a series of metrical feet forming
one line of poetry.” Well, whatever you
call what Service wrote, it was longer than one line, so that can’t be it.
Looking further, however, I found a few sources that included
a definition of verse as “metrical
writing distinguished from poetry because of its inferior quality” and which “lacks
depth or artistic merit.” I also found a couple critical discussions that stated
Service’s work was considered doggerel by the literary elite.
Obviously, whoever puts together the list of birthday people
for the New York Times thinks so too.
I did a little more checking and found that the Times even called Rod McKuen a “poet” on his birthday, and if ever there was verse
that lacks depth and artistic merit, it’s the junk he writes.
Somebody definitely needs to call attention to the poetic prejudices
of the New York Times.
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