Make It the Same: Poetry in the Age of Global Media

The world is full of copies, including works of avant-garde writers challenging cultural and political authority. Jacob Edmond's book "Make It the Same" examines the turn toward repetition in poetry, showing how it is increasingly made from other texts through sampling, appropriation, translation, remediation, performance, and other forms of repetition. He illuminates the common form that unites a diverse range of writers, from dub poets in the Caribbean to digital parodists in China, and develops an alternative account of modernist and contemporary literature as defined by a system of continuous copying.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 21 June 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The world is a vast tapestry of copies, encompassing not only the digital replication enabled by globalization but also the avant-garde works of writers who challenge cultural and political authority. In his book, "Make It the Same," Jacob Edmond delves into the resurgence of repetition in poetry, using the explosion of copying as a lens to offer a fresh and inventive perspective on modern and contemporary literature.

Make It the Same explores how poetry, traditionally associated with the unique and inimitable utterance, is increasingly constructed from other texts through various forms of repetition, including sampling, appropriation, translation, remediation, performance, and more. Edmond traces the rise of copy poetry across media, from the tape recorder to the computer, and across diverse cultures and languages. He examines the works of a wide range of writers, from dub poets in the Caribbean to digital parodists in China, samizdat wordsmiths in Russia to Twitter-trolling provocateurs in the United States. By analyzing the works of these diverse writers, Edmond reveals the common form that unites them, transcending aesthetic, linguistic, geopolitical, and technological boundaries.

One of the key insights of "Make It the Same" is that modernist and contemporary literature can be defined not by innovation, as famously articulated by Ezra Pound's slogan, "make it new," but by a system of continuous copying. Edmond challenges the traditional hierarchies of original and derivative, center and periphery, by recognizing copying as the engine of literary change. He argues that copying allows for the reimagining and reworking of existing texts, creating new meanings and connections that challenge our understanding of literature and culture.

Through his comprehensive analysis, Edmond develops an alternative account of modernist and contemporary literature that emphasizes the role of copying in shaping artistic expression. He shows how the old boundaries between original and derivative, center and periphery, are blurred when we embrace copying as a creative tool. By doing so, he opens up new possibilities for literary exploration and innovation, demonstrating that the act of making it the same can lead to profound and meaningful artistic transformations.

In conclusion, "Make It the Same" is a thought-provoking and innovative book that offers a fresh perspective on the role of copying in modern and contemporary literature. By examining the resurgence of repetition in poetry, Edmond challenges our assumptions about creativity, originality, and cultural authority. Through his comprehensive analysis and alternative account of literature, he opens up new possibilities for artistic exploration and innovation, demonstrating that the act of making it the same can lead to profound and meaningful artistic transformations.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231190039