As I type these words they become material, incised in the page—they are supposedly worthy of introspection. Of course we shall all exercise our own judgment in such an act, for as opinionated beings we enjoy praising or abashing a piece of writing. We are critical because we are inclined to take words personally.
Two weeks ago, distinguished poet Adrian Matejka came to my Introduction to Poetry Writing course and shared some of his thoughts on how to write poetry. In so doing, he mentioned that poets should not interiorize their writing to the point of estranging their readers. He believes that poets should write about things that relate to and are relevant to the public—otherwise, the poems are selfish endeavors meant to be kept to oneself.
I myself have not quite decided how I feel about Matejka’s stance. I agree that if one is going to go through all the trouble of publicly materializing one’s own words, they should be worthy of sharing. But the “worth” of something is rather subjective. We can learn from a text solely on the level of language—in how its words are constructed or manipulated, for example. Alternatively, we can learn from the actual ideas embedded in the words. And then there is mindless reading, which can be poorly compared to the watching of television shows. Sometimes, we just want to read or watch something that will be pleasurable and help pass the time.
And so, in writing this column I cannot help but think: is writing in a more “intellectual” frame just a façade for the narcissistic endeavor of putting down one’s words and thoughts? The other day, a friend of mine, in the midst of homework frenzy, made a comical yet relevant observation on our obsession with words. She told me about the seemingly ridiculous importance we give to material expression of our personal and individualistic thoughts (i.e., on paper). She went on to say that we use one of our most important natural resources, trees, for that purpose. But this has been justified, for we have accepted the printed word as necessary and important. So does materializing our thoughts make them more present, permanent, or real?
I suppose, to me, the most rewarding part about the printed word is its ability to spread and communicate. The truth is that we all have a curiosity for words. And this is something that is increasingly acknowledged and shared with the growing popularity of the Internet. I know that the topic of the Internet and its communication failures and benefits has been drilled over and over into our heads. But I am going to remark on a perhaps less-referenced topic: Lulu.com—a marvelous Web site where one can compile a book of one’s own.
About a year ago my sister made a book using this Web site called “The Useless Book.” The book and its title illustrate both the ridiculous and pleasurable nature of words. A good portion of the book is dedicated to her personal and peculiar definitions of useless, complicated words (many of which were taken from SAT and GRE vocabulary lists). The definitions themselves are elaborate and surreal stories, as if each word created a world of its own. In helping my sister define these words, I experienced the fun in expressing the seemingly useless. Here is an example of a word from the list:
nadir: n. at the very bottom of the ocean our nightly dreams settle like pebbles under the guard of glowing, quiet creatures’ bellies.
Nadir’s denotation of having a low point is used to create this momentary underwater scene.
Both my sister and I used this project as an opportunity to outpour the products of our imaginations, and were excited by the advent of having them printed in this seemingly more sophisticated context. We did not have a large readership in mind—the simple enjoyment of meddling with words and seeing the result for ourselves sufficed.
There is certainly a degree of narcissism in writing and a sense of accomplishment with the printed, material word. But in the end, I suppose all we are really doing is playing with words.
Elisa de Souza is a Barnard College sophomore. Weaving Words runs alternating Wednesdays.
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