© Molly Sutton Keifer

Poet Dean Young

Moving through irony

by Keith Taylor

posted 9/15/2009

In a recent interview, Dean Young said something to the effect that the only way to get past irony is to go through it. This quip certainly highlights Young's ironic sense and the emotional distance he often creates by his use of contemporary American slang, the pleasure he takes in the artifacts of popular culture, and his exuberant unwillingness to stick to any particular subject. But the comment also suggests that he might want to get past irony to a quieter place, even though he may distrust that place.

Arts and Entertainment reviews and news.