Why "arduity"?
"Arduity" is an old word for difficulty (or the quality of being aruous) which makes sense once you think about it and thinking about what you've read is an important part of getting to grips with difficult poetry. This was going to be called 'dark conceits' after Edmund Spenser's explanation of 'The Faerie Queen' but I realised that this was a bit too obscure (even for me).
How are poems or poets chosen?
I'm looking for contributors and collaborators to write about their own experience of difficult verse. The only criteria is that the poet's intention/meaning should not be apparent on a first reading.
How do I make a contribution or comment?
I'm currently thinking about moving this site to a wiki platform in the near future, in the meantime you need to e-mail bebrowed@gmail.com with you contribution, comment or proposal
What's so good about difficult poetry?
Difficult poetry comes in many shapes and flavours. Difficulty usually arises because the poet is dealing with complex issues and there is real pleasure to be gained from sharing in this complexity. This is not to denigrate poetry that isn't difficult, it's just that difficulty brings richer rewards for the reader who is prepared to put the effort in.