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RE: Poetry Editing 101 – Session Three: Show and Never Tell
Excellent piece! I'm sure I will find occasion to forward this to poets and writers alike.
It's ironic though that the final lines from Keats do the exact opposite of all the advice you've given — they tell without showing. You could insert within them any of those loathsome aphorisms:
'Positive thoughts bring you positive results. Positive results, positive thoughts.' – that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
But I know you're already aware of this irony, so I eagerly await your next piece on subverting the don't tell rule through hypodiegetic devices.
Looking forward to more in the series!
Thanks for that. Glad you liked and kudos for spotting the irony. I'm sure the use of the hypodiegetic device helps, but Keats ultimately gets away with it because of his situated ethos and the fact that he's speaking ex cathedra.