Imitation: Good or Bad?
The Yellowed Page
Volume 3, Issue 6 (April 20)
Prefatory Comments
⠀ The most natural course for any young or beginning poet is that of imitation. There are good reasons why this activity is common and in many ways necessary. However, there may also be problems that would not be obvious at the time.
⠀ Think about the first steps in any poetic journey, especially those younger poets, children, we may say. Most, if not all, will dabble with rime. I believe this to be true. At this stage, I cannot believe any youth or beginner disregarding rime in favor of free verse. Why? Because this is what we have in schools, or did have. Is it still considered of any importance? Whether or not, we found riming couplets and Sicilian quatrains. They are easy to remember, and both sound and rime appeal to younger children. Something is captivating about it all. Besides, they would have far better success with formal verse than they would with free verse. At this age, in the classroom, there would have been those who would have thought they were being subjected to an unimaginable torture.
⠀ Apart from idle jottings, which may be good, bad, or indifferent, there would be some attempt to find poetry that they enjoy reading or listening to. For this exercise, an older person may be more discerning, as they could make a decision based on their current taste in verse (perhaps). The younger ones would likely be given a book of verse. Predictably, this would be an anthology of some description. Different poets, different styles, reading, writing, and reciting until they can write better verses (again, perhaps). Naturally, there will be poems they like and those they do not, but there is also the possibility that they may come across a poet who will turn out to be their favorite.
⠀ This is the general flow. What we need to consider now is the meaning of imitation as used in the title. What do we actually mean by imitation? We could say that imitation is the act of copying, mimicking, or giving the appearance of something else. As with many things, there is good and bad.
What of Imitation?
⠀ When we talk about imitating another poet, there is a lot more than just producing something that looks like a particular poet may have written it. As we might assume, there are different degrees of imitation. For a better imitation, greater skill is required.
⠀ At first, we may think that imitating another poet is cheating, or at least copying. I will say, if this were to happen to you, you should be very flattered indeed!
⠀ What was that wonderful little quote?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
or rather, as it should be
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.
⠀ Take it how you like, but neither of these was from Oscar Wilde as is commonly accepted. The first is from Charles Caleb Colton, and the second part is from Sir Herbert Beerbohm. Either way, you should not be too concerned with being copied. However, the use of mediocrity does bite the imitator, just a little.
⠀ The question remains: What would one hope by imitating? It may be the case that the poet is not hoping for anything in particular, for it may be a casual excursion through experimentation and imagination, entertainment of sorts. However, I would suspect something different. The poet is seeking something, but is not sure what it is. There is only a feeling or desire of hope (deceptive expectation) that whatever they are seeking actually exists.
⠀ Each poet is looking for something different, looking for someone, looking for themselves, their inner poet, the poet's voice. All this may sound very sentimental and romantic. In some ways it is, but what we hope for and what we get can be two different things.
⠀ It is only by a lot of reading, study, and comparison of poems that there will be the slightest chance of producing a half-decent imitation of anyone. If the one being imitated is good, then the imitation must be of an equivalent quality. If the imitator is bad, no one is interested, and so no one will bother reading their work.
⠀ In the beginning, the learner poet will be looking for something simple and workable, and preferably successful. Simple, from the point of view that it may be easily replicated. This is the hope. The truth of the matter is that it is not easy at all. When the time eventually comes for some serious verses, assuming this is the direction to be taken, they say strike on a model or example to help guide their way. Without another poet to guide them, imitation will prove useful, but it will not necessarily be a simple task.
⠀ Most of what has been discussed so far is more appropriate for older individuals. It could be assumed that, say, from about mid-teens, or perhaps in exceptional cases, the poet can understand and follow different techniques used by other poets, or at least be able to research them. The younger poet will naturally need more guidance and encouragement. Theoretically, this all sounds easy, but there are cases where imitation could be detrimental. The best of intentions are not always the best.
⠀ As for imitation, there is the problem that the poet who has been chosen is a little wayward. By this I mean that the poet's techniques and methods do not accord with what we would expect, and that their overall standard is wanting. This could well give the learner the wrong ideas about poetry and its composition.
⠀ Whereas there is nothing intrinsically wrong with imitation, some poets will never leave this stage of development. What possible reasons could be responsible for this phenomenon? The first and most obvious reason is that the poet is not interested in changing their attitude towards poetry. This is possible because not everyone can be a poet. Once the stage has been achieved where they are capable of producing poetry, they become satisfied with their achievement, and there is nothing wrong with this attitude. The serious poet will continue to experiment and produce something different. We should also bear in mind that the poet may actually be imitating more than one poet. If this is the case, the methods and styles are being combined to create a new form or style. This is no longer considered to be imitation.
⠀ A second possibility is that the poet is disinclined or unable to delve into the how and why of verses. Again, if this is their choice, we have no reason to complain.
Whence Does Our Poetry Come?
⠀ Whether imitation or not, we must often wonder where our poetry originates. How is it that we are suddenly inclined to start writing verses? I say this suddenly, because I do not personally believe that we can force ourselves to write acceptable poetry any time we want to. Making ourselves write will often lead to mediocre verses. No doubt many have tried, and just as many have failed in this pursuit.
How is our Poetry Related to its Origin?
⠀ This may come across as an unusual question since we think that we are the progenitor of our poetry. Truth is, the origin of our poetry depends on several factors. We may look at imitation and think that this is all it is, the imitation or pretense of being another poet. However, all assumptions of pretending or copying are entirely incorrect.
⠀ To imitate is fine, but we cannot merely copy someone else's work. There needs to be some difference between what we read and what we end up writing. We will find that a high percentage of imitations will be one of two things. The first is the form or style, and the second is the content. It may well be that both occur in the one piece.
⠀ If I wanted to, I could say that together, both produce a feeling. Something that possesses us, or compels us to write. It may also be possible that neither of the two is directly involved in the resulting poem, but simply that their combination sparked an element of creativity. Thus, we are compelled to write.
⠀ All of our poetry derives from our past. We cannot, by ourselves, convincingly write of anything that we have never experienced. We can do so by analyzing others' experiences. In effect, we steal the emotion. Our poetry will relate to our past emotions and acquaintances. Love is a common topic, especially when it's about a lost love. What we may have had, now what we want, but do not possess.
Concluding Thoughts
⠀ Some characteristics of imitation make it attractive.
- Essentially, a ready-made framework or template to work from.
- Potentially less time to produce work.
- Possibly learn different techniques involving meter, rime and general construction.
- Developing and improving one's vocabulary.
⠀ However, there are also disadvantages with undesirable results.
- Imitating too closely leads to copying.
- Stifles creativity.
- Hampers originality.
- Reliance may lead to plagiarism.
⠀ There may be time advantages, but time and quality are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I believe that in most instances, productive use of time will be the determining factor in quality. Productive use does not always mean lengthy periods, but it does imply that the first effort is not the final product. The serious poet will always refine their work in some manner.