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'"Astonishingly fecund and inventive. The New Arcadia revitalizes pastoral traditions, but more in the mode of lamentation than celebration. Like Frost's New Hampshire and Vermont, Kinsella's Western Australia is eroded, a last act salted with the ruins of our age, and yet yielding permanent poems."-Harold Bloom' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Dedication: for Susan Stewart.
Fledging or hedging in,
The twenty-eights hurry us through lines of back-roads,
Linking sullen and bright
Trees, liquid in changing
Weather, monitoring
Pace and direction,
Shifting dispositions.
-
Constructed in five 'Acts' plus Envoy.
Contents
* Contents derived from the
Fremantle,
Fremantle area,
South West Perth,
Perth,
Western Australia,:Fremantle Press
, 2005 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
- Reflectors: Drive 1i"At The Lakes, the V takes you away", single work poetry (p. 3-10)
- Pythic Small Birds Are the Point Where Wandoo and York Gum Give Way to Jam Tree, the Granitic Hill Gently Climbingi"Trip-wire and tilt,", single work poetry (p. 10-11)
- A Front Approachesi"Clear. Flowering gums strobe red, quick", single work poetry (p. 11-12)
- Cleaning the New Rainwater Tank During the Onset of an Electrical Storm ...i"John's cleaning the new rainwater tank", single work poetry (p. 13-17)
- The Swingi"To make portions of the circle", single work poetry (p. 17-18)
- The Rural Stagei"These surging backdrops, procenium,", single work poetry (p. 18-19)
- No Moment is Wastedi"Boar leaf-blade, cuttingly green,", single work poetry (p. 19-20)
- The Sword of Ausculapiusi"The twist of the bird-like", single work poetry (p. 20-21)
- Tilti"Iron telegraph mazurka", single work poetry (p. 21-22)
- They Say of Batsi"They can make you fear all creatures:", single work poetry (p. 22-23)
- Extreme Conditions Occasion the Foxi"Red nightclouds suspended over treetops", single work poetry (p. 23-24)
- Dead Wood and Scorpionsi"Split, sliced, shattered - petrified tailings", single work poetry (p. 24-25)
- The Bungarra Goannai"The yellow spots", single work poetry (p. 25-26)
- 180 Degrees of Separationi"The sheep came here before entering the yard", single work poetry (p. 26-28)
- The Telephone Paddocki"It's easy to say 'this one is for you' -", single work poetry (p. 28-30)
- Occasion at Variance with the Wordi"In the corner paddock, four species of birds", single work poetry (p. 30-31)
- The Top Bush (for the Cribbs)i"The aggregate of words is not enough", single work poetry (p. 31-32)
- Polleni"As dust to the cuffs of trousers,", single work poetry (p. 32-33)
- A Version of the New Arcadiai"Chaff blocks spread and decompose", single work poetry (p. 33-35)
- Warning - Snakes (Reprise)i"Don't walk in the long grass", single work poetry (p. 36)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Is There an Australian Pastoral Poetry?
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Le Simplegadi , November no. 14 2015; (p. 38-51) Pastoral was common as a European literary genre from the Renaissance until the eighteenth century. It existed in other artistic forms as well, especially in the visual arts, and after its demise as a distinct genre elements of it persisted into the twentieth century, for example in music. With the colonial spread of European culture the pastoral influence also extended into other countries, with a mixed fate. Recently, the term Pastoral has come back into prominence in literature in English, not only in Great Britain but also, notably in the USA and Australia, with the growth of writing motivated by ecological involvement with the natural world, especially landscape. This has led to re-definitions of the term Pastoral in the last few decades. A number of Australian poets are looked at to see whether, and how, their writing about landscape might relate to, or incorporate elements of the Pastoral. The Australian poet John Kinsella, in particular, has been a widely published spokesperson for a new definition of Pastoral. His published works trace his move from a politically activist anti-colonialist redefinition of Pastoral towards a quieter, more harmonious, and essentially ethical engagement with the natural world. -
‘The Name Blossomed’: Landscapes, Habitats and the Botanical Poetry of South-West Australia
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Ecocriticism and Cultural Ecology , vol. 2 no. 2013; (p. 26-42) 'Habitat poetry represents the lives of plants, animals and the features of the natural world within their ecological networks. Commonly detailing physical contact with nature, habitat poetry narrates moments in which the senses engage with ecological processes. Additionally, habitat awareness in poetry tends to convey a sense of grappling with scientific discourses. These characterisations of habitat poetry will be articulated in the context of the biodiverse South-West of Western Australia. The works of South-West poets Alec Choate (1915-2010) (Gifts; A Marking; Mind); Andrew Lansdown (1954-); and John Kinsella (1963) (Poems; The New Arcadia) use sensory language to express something about nature and convey the dynamics between science and poetry. The concept of habitat provides an interpretative framework for reading Choate, Lansdown and Kinsella. The three could be described not only as landscape poets but more precisely as habitat poets, a distinction pursued in this discussion.' (Author's abstract)
-
Salt Scars : John Kinsella's Wheatbelt
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , vol. 27 no. 2 2012; (p. 18-31) -
De-Mapping & Reconnoitring Notions of Boundaries - Mutually Said : Blogging & Acting
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Activist Poetics : Anarchy in the Avon Valley 2010; (p. 137-162) -
The Purposes of Landscape Poetry : Ecology or Psychology?
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Landscapes , Winter vol. 4 no. 1 2010; (p. 108-117)
-
The 1000 Mile Stare
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 27 August 2005; (p. 8)
— Review of The New Arcadia 2005 selected work poetry -
A Language of Intense Connection
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 15 October 2005; (p. 5)
— Review of The New Arcadia 2005 selected work poetry -
Words of Wisdom and Insight
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11 December 2005; (p. 26)
— Review of Friendly Fire 2005 selected work poetry ; The New Arcadia 2005 selected work poetry ; Peeling Apples 2005 selected work poetry ; Suburban Anatomy 2005 selected work poetry -
Pastoral Crisis
2005-2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December-January no. 277 2005-2006; (p. 56)
— Review of The New Arcadia 2005 selected work poetry -
[Review] The New Arcadia
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Five Bells , Spring vol. 12 no. 4 2005; (p. 59)
— Review of The New Arcadia 2005 selected work poetry -
How Poets Work : John Kinsella
2005
single work
autobiography
— Appears in: Five Bells , Spring vol. 12 no. 4 2005; (p. 26-29) Kinsella discusses the use (or otherwise) of scare-quotes in his poetry, particularly in relation to the naming of trees. -
John Kinsella in Conversation with Rosanna Licari
Rosanna Licari
(interviewer),
2007
single work
interview
— Appears in: Stylus Poetry Journal , April no. 25 2007; -
John Kinsella's Anti-Pastoral : A Western Australian Poetics of Place
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 24 no. 1 2010; (p. 91-96) -
Radical Pastoralism : John Kinsella's Great ‘Pastoral Trilogy'
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Landscapes , Autumn vol. 3 no. 1 2009; (p. 1-13) 'The purpose in this paper is to trace the poetic progress of John Kinsella, as an example of an Australian poetic attack on the traditions of the 'pastoral Eden' − the idea that humans are inclined to be more moral and more appealingly human if they are closer to 'Nature', i.e., away from the inherent evil and corrupting influences of cities, or similar urban and industrial situations.' (p. 1) -
Walking Through Wheatlands (Conversations with John Kinsella)
Glen Phillips
(interviewer),
2010
single work
interview
— Appears in: Landscapes , Winter vol. 4 no. 1 2010;
Awards
Last amended 9 Feb 2022 13:35:06
Settings:
- Southwest Western Australia, Western Australia,
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