Stated in its simplest form, Olson's Projective Verse theory has three main principles. The first is that a poem must be a high "energy discharge" from the poet to the reader. Second, the form of a poem is an extension of its content. And third, "ONE PERCEPTION MUST IMMEDIATELY AND DIRECTLY LEAD TO A FURTHER PERCEPTION." Olson's essay "Projective Verse" originally appeared in 1950; by 1960 the Projective Verse theory was widely acclaimed as the dominant new concept, and it had great prestige through the sixties and seventies. However, many objections to Projective Verse have been raised. Certainly it was not as new as its supporters claimed, but a patchwork of Pound's and Williams's ideas, as has been convincingly demonstrated by Marjorie Perloff [see CLC, Vol. 9]. The trouble with this theory is that it remained a manifesto, rather than a progenitor of engaged, practical criticism that aided the actual writing...