Primum Pensum, Autumno 2007: His Mind Through Your Mind?

Here we are with our first blog post of the new school year. I am starting the numbering over with Week 1--Fall 2007 so that we can more easily keep up with our weeks.

Recently on National Public Radio's "This I Believe" series, Canada's first poet laureate, George Bowering, made this comment:

"Sometimes when you are listening to a great jazz musician performing a long solo, you are experiencing his mind, moment by moment, as it shifts and decides, as it adds and reminds. This happens whether the player is a saxophone player or a bass player or a pianist. You are in there, where that other mind is. His mind is coming through your ears and inside your mind."

You can go here to read his entire "This I Believe" statement. It's not long, and I urge you to read the entire thing: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12821079

Choose your favorite Catullan poem (thus far) and respond to Bowering's observation. Do you agree that by reading aloud a poem of Catullus that Catullus' thoughts and mind itself are moving through yours? What nuances can you give to your answer? Cite directly from your chosen poem with examples, whichever position you take on this question.

Have fun with this. I think Bowering makes a fascinating set of observations about what art is and how we interact with it.

Mr. P