Term of the Day
"important minor poet"
The more I round out the sounds of this phrase aloud, the more it puzzles me. What makes a minor poet important? Do we solely take this phrase to mean "important in one's own era, but not a figure whose work stands the test of time," or is there nuance to the phrase? Can an important minor poet's work be considered and admired by later generations without bumping said poet to the higher echelons of taste? Also, is there a reversal of this phrase? Can one be an "unimportant major poet"? What would that look like, I wonder. Who would fill the short list?
The more I round out the sounds of this phrase aloud, the more it puzzles me. What makes a minor poet important? Do we solely take this phrase to mean "important in one's own era, but not a figure whose work stands the test of time," or is there nuance to the phrase? Can an important minor poet's work be considered and admired by later generations without bumping said poet to the higher echelons of taste? Also, is there a reversal of this phrase? Can one be an "unimportant major poet"? What would that look like, I wonder. Who would fill the short list?