Pound vs. Eliot

[rayheinrich]

Hmm, let's see, the choice is between a fascist anti-semite and a plain
old anti-semite... Of course, that's a judgement of the person. If you
really meant 'the person Pound' vs 'the person Eliot' then I'd chose Eliot.

If you meant 'the poetry of Pound' vs 'the poetry of Eliot' then I'd judge
the individual work and not the politics/prejudice of the person. I'd only
include the politics/prejudice if they were indicated in the context of the
poem. And on the second question, I guess I'd choose Eliot; but only
because of his masterful book on practical cats. Anyone who writes
poetry about cats is clearly superior even if he isn't part of a master
race.

P.S. How much the poetry relates to the person is a great topic for
another thread. My own personal opinion is that a poem stands
separate from the writer. If anything, it is more a creature of the
reader.