John Clare and the Madness of Poets

Read this episode on Substack and subscribe! Text of poemTopics discussed include:-Plato's "Ion"-The Muses and Schizophrenia-Poets must be weirdos-The normies are the willing slaves of the mad-Lewis's trilemma-The American Confessionals and the French Decadents -The Wild 18th century-Go read William Cowper's "The Task!" -Samuel Johnson, Richard Savage, William Collins, Christopher Smart, William Blake, Friederich Holderlin, The Marquis de Sade-Jubilate Agno, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Thomson's The Seasons, Tristram Shandy -The man who thought he was Byron-"I Am" by John Clare-Vers libre vs. verse libere-"Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold-The Masque of the Red Death-Et in Arcadia EgoSupport the showVISIT MY WEBSITE HERE.BUY VERSECRAFT MERCH HERE.VISIT THE VERSECRAFT SUBSTACK HERE.Please subscribe, rate, and review! Thanks so much for listening.You can leave me a tip, support the podcast, or request a commission here! TikTok:  @versecraftSend me a note at: [email protected] favorite poetry podcasts for: Sharp thoughts and cutting truths (Matthew): Sleerickets  Lovely introspection and sensitive reflection (Alice): Poetry Says The landscape of Ohioan poetry (Jeremy): Poetry Spotlight  Supported in part by The Ohio Poetry AssociationArt by David Anthony KlugList of the most common metrical feet: Iamb: weak-STRONG (u /)Trochee: STRONG-weak (/ u)Anapest: weak-weak-STRONG (u u /)Amphibrach: weak-STRONG-weak (u / u)Dactyl: STRONG-weak-weak (/ u u)Cretic: STRONG-weak-STRONG (/ u /)Pyrrhic: weak-weak (u u)Spondee: STRONG-STRONG (/ /)