Bean Newton's
Experimental Mode
by E.W.
Wilder
There has been increasing debate amongst Bean Newton scholars both
here and abroad about the ultimate origins of Newton's experimental
poems. The leading notion is that it had to be the result of psychoactive
substances of some kind. Most reasoning along this line derives from
the fact that Newton had no (or very little--there is evidence of his
having attended one undergraduate Creative Writing workshop) formal
training in poetry. How, critics reason, could someone produce such
remarkable work without the guidance of an established poetic voice
guiding him along? How could he have even put two words together without
the presence of at least an MFA in Creative Writing sharing the grace
of the degree?
These are certainly vexing questions and ones far beyond the reach
of a mere introduction like this one. Suffice it to say, though, that
his experimental work might provide some insight. It is possible, although
not probable, that Newton's constant and heartfelt experimentation might
have accidentally caused him to write some actual poems. One runs into
problems like the proverbial infinite number of monkeys writing Shakespeare
when one postulates this, but The Bard's untutored roughness itself
tends to lend credence to the theory presented here. We can only wish
that DweeMs such as Shakespeare could have achieved the kind of formalistic
perfection of, say, Molly Peacock to help establish some kind of tradition.
At any rate, Newton's methodology, however unorthodox and inadvisable,
can be easily seen in the following selections.
Bean Newton's Experimental Mode (Introduction by E. W. Wilder)
Mertz
That's Not an Acorn, Daddy
An Answer to a Question Burroughs Never Asked
