Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_3813
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
iv, 67 p.
Note (type = degree)
M.F.A.
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Scott Michael Oliver
Abstract (type = abstract)
There will be no return to the “salad days” of poetry, not because there is no longer an attachment between the great-ones that have lain along the worn road of poetry & those lucky few whom choose similar roads, but because we are unwilling to see what exists in our own jars of creativity. It seems that we either steal from our predecessors—making it so new poets are no different than the old—or feign growing & learning in our private, sealed jars. A jar is only what is inside of it. If left empty, it is no longer a jar. Too often, poets seem speaking to & taking from the same old jar. There is nothing wrong with old jars, but if we do not fill in old jars with new content, all is lost. Broken into five sections, Different Jars analyzes the place of the poet today through a lens of religion, family, war, city-life & our predecessors. While inspecting what was poetry & what has it done for us lately, the poems beg one question: What is poetry? Though similar themes & questions breathe in the manuscript, the use of portmanteaus (or cobbled-words) to comment on attachments made with poetry & words—both individually & as a society—was essential. If a jar is opened & used enough, some spills will occur. The beauty of it—the poetry—is in what is left on our countertops, a mix of many flavors. The question for the reader is what tastes best.
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.