1)
What do
you think were the main recurring themes in this collection? How does the poet
handled these themes?
2)
This
book has been described in reviews as “rich and grim” with poems “like
fairground rides.” Do you think that these are accurate analogies? In what ways
are the poems rich or grim?
3)
Muldoon
lives in America – can you see the influence of American culture in this
collection? Can you discern the influence of his Irish background in his
writing?
4)
Did you
notice the use of particular forms or sound patterns, rhyme schemes? How do
these patterns affect your reading of the poems?
5)
Could
you see any patterns and connections between the poems in the collection?
6)
This
book has been described as “an experimental bestiary” (Laura Marsh) – how did
animals feature in the collection?
7)
Maggot is punctuated by longer sequence poems. These poems are less concrete
and more abstract than some of the other poems in the collection – were these
poems accessible to the reader? Did you connect with these poems?
8)
Some of
the poems in the collection have direct or indirect references to cancer – how
do you feel Muldoon handles this subject? How does it compare to other poet’s
handling of the subject (i.e. Jo Shapcott’s Of
Mutability)?
9)
What was
your favourite/least favourite poem in the collection? Why?
10) In her review for Voyager Sarah Bennett refers to the frequency of casual sexual
references throughout the collection – did you notice these references? Did
they bother you?
11) Did you feel like you had to do “research” to
fully understand all the references? Did this add to or detract from your
reading experience? Did you feel that the collection would have benefitted from
a glossary?
12) It has been said that “the philosophical
meaning” of these poems “may be hard for the casual reader to discern.” (Lesley
McDowell, The Independent) Would you
agree/disagree with this statement?
13) Muldoon has been described as “an allusive
and riddling poet” and some of the poems in this collection have an almost Lear
like quality to their language – do you think meaning is sacrificed for the
quality of sound? Does this matter?
