Just as we get new numbers by substitution of new inputs into old formulas -- such as x² or sinx -- we may get new poems from old ones into which we substitute new words. For example, take a poem and, for each of the nouns in the poem, substitute for it the noun that occurs 7 positions later in a given dictionary. This N+7 rule is one of the inventions of the French group of writers and mathematicians known as the Oulipo. (For more information, see postings from 25 March 2010, 23 August 2010, 15 November 2010 and 3 January 2011.)
Showing posts with label substitution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label substitution. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New poems from old -- by substitution
Poet Lee Ann Brown was the featured poet at the November, 2010 Conference on Constrained Poetry at UNC Ashville; this conference celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of Oulipo. In a poetry sampler archived from the Boston Review, we find "Pledge" (see below) and other samples of Brown's work. Recordings are available at Penn Sound.
Labels:
constrained poetry,
constraint,
Lee Ann Brown,
mathematics,
N+7,
Oulipo,
poetry,
square,
substitution,
Wallace Stevens
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