As I walked into the lecture hall, I saw people ranging from the literary community's elite to high school students. Taking my seat, the crowd hushed as a rather distinguished looking man walked to the podium. The man prepared his notes and I waited silently in awe of his presence, anticipating his words of wisdom. I knew this was a gentleman who knew what he was talking about – that is, until he opened his mouth.
             My first impressions of Professor Dunne, a visiting literary critic, were torn to shreds over the few hours at Griffith University's lecture hall as I listened to him criticise Australian poetry. I was stunned to hear the comments of this man (who had graced our shores only a few hours earlier) – a man who dared to enlighten the Australian literary community of the fact that our nation's poetry superficial and idiomatic. Needless to say, I was not the only one who was not impressed.
             Australian poetry has often been regarded as a stimulating portrayal of the Australian people and their surroundings. Its attention to detail for capturing the characteristics of Australia is one of the key strengths of our poetry. Yet, according to Dunne's comments, Australian poetry lacks a "universal" appeal. While he shared his thoughts, it was his opinion that Australian poetry is too idiomatic and lacks a concern for mankind in general.
             When Dunne commented on the 'idiomatic' nature of Australian poetry, I was rather perplexed at what he meant. Nevertheless, I assumed the intended meaning was to infer narrowness in language and content, indicating that you need to be Australian to appreciate the poetry.
             If we trace the history of Australian poetry, we can see that it ranges from the early bush poetry of yesteryear through to the poetry of today. The vast variety and styles of poetry between these two cannot be stereotyped together. To say that all Australian poetry lacks a un
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