| Front | poetaster \POH-uh-tass-ter\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun An inferior poet. [In Latin, the suffix "-aster" indicates partial resemblance. In both Latin and English, that often translates to "second-rate," or maybe even "third-rate." Not surprisingly, "poetaster" often goes hand in hand with "doggerel," meaning "verse marked by triviality or inferiority." "Most of the people who send me thick sheaves of handwritten or word-processed doggerel," Ms. Greer tells us in the Independent article we quote above, "appear never to have read any poetry, good or bad.... Every week poetasters, like literary flashers seeking to amaze and appal hapless passers-by with the sight of their grey flaccidities, send their effusions to people like me." Are there are other kinds of "-asters" out there? Yes indeed -- we have criticasters, philosophasters, and politicasters, among others.] "In the title story, a poetaster suffering from 'chronic acuteness' is rushed to the hospital before his verse does much harm." - Anthony Bukoski; Average Joes Wind Up in 'Hospital'; Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota); May 3, 2009. "You have revealed yourself to the world as a conceited little poetaster." - Simon Barnes; Rooney No Longer in Control of Fame Game; The Times (London, UK); Sep 13, 2010. |
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