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WELLINGTON AS A REFERENCE BOOK IN ITS OWN
RIGHT |
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The concept of this long poem, extensively annotated and with a definitive index, as a reference
book was fairly reviewed in New Hope International Review on-line by RON WOOLLARD (A), together with supportive information.
A notice was posted in LONG POEMS (B), admitting it was one of the ambitious projects in
poetry of its year, mentioning that the Iron Duke came to life but that the poetry was not often of the standard expected.
This is accepted by the author, but he had made it plain that a long narrative such as Wellington, in
order to be factual, must sacrifice the emotional assets of poetry. Readers must judge which is likely the best balance, avoiding jingoism on the one hand and striving on the other to establish some poetic regime to raise it above prose. War nowadays is eulogised with risk of affecting human sensibilities, although the relative harmless sport of football had grown in media description and fan antics to resemble a war. |