Prompting ChatGPT to consider what James Whitcomb Riley and Charles Baudelaire might have said to each other in conversation
Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
It’s midnight and I just graded something like 40 assignments for my English 112 classes. I think this grading is driving me crazy! Just about half an hour ago I wondered, just for a moment, what a meeting between the French poet Charles Baudelaire and the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley might have been like.
Never mind that this would have been impossible because Riley was still a teenager when Baudelaire died and they, of course, lived on different continents.
Nevertheless, I couldn't help wondering how the pious, sanctimonious, and sentimental Riley might get along with the decadent and cynical author of The Flowers of Evil. How would it play out? I decided to ask the AI bot ChatGPT what would happen, if this absurd encounter were somehow to happen—say, somewhere in the afterlife—and ChatGPT took all of two seconds to answer. Here it is:
If Charles Baudelaire and James Whitcomb Riley were to get together and discuss poetry, it would likely be a fascinating conversation between two poets with very different styles and perspectives.
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who is widely regarded as a founding father of modernist poetry. His work was often controversial and focused on themes of decadence, urban life, and beauty in the grotesque. On the other hand, James Whitcomb Riley was an American poet known for his sentimental and nostalgic poems about rural life, childhood, and nature.
Despite their differences in style and subject matter, Baudelaire and Riley might find common ground in their love of poetry and their dedication to their craft. They might discuss the importance of language and imagery in poetry, the role of the poet in society, and their own creative processes.
It's possible that their conversation might be somewhat tense, given the stark contrast between their styles and attitudes. However, it's also possible that they might find unexpected inspiration in each other's work and come away with a greater appreciation for the diversity of poetic expression. Ultimately, the conversation would likely be a fascinating exploration of the many ways in which poetry can capture the human experience.
