You're right about poor teaching. Last year I did a course on literary criticism, and one of the modules was on poetry. The tutor was brilliant. I mean, he managed to make us see the merit in things we all thought we were familiar with, like I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud' (apparently the poem's true title rather than Daffodils). I'd have done more courses with him, but he keeps saying he's retired.
I find the concept of a prose poem a difficult one to get my head around, despite having a Penguin collection of prose poems. The introduction is interesting though. I love this sentence:
"In an age of mass literacy our daily lives are enmeshed in networks of sentences and paragraphs as extensive as any urban grid. The prose poem drive the reading mind beyond the city limits."
Sep 14, 2022·edited Sep 14, 2022Liked by <Mary L. Tabor>
> Poetry is poetry because rhythm drives the poem, is essential to its meaning—even if that rhythm doesn’t follow a prescribed form.
Rhythm in writing is an interesting topic for me this month because I just found out that you can do a great deal with it even without structure or rhyme - just by playing with the sounds of syllables. I've written a handful of pieces to explore it and will have a few more by the end of October. It's fascinating.
To be honest, I'm not sure whether what I'm creating is poetry or prose, but regardless, it's been eye opening
I love this! I long to connect with poetry in a deeper way than reading a shortened version on a social media meme. Coming back to poetry always centers and calms my spirit. Poems can be lullaby, song, or mantra. As someone who works with both music and the brain, I really enjoyed this perspective and the research behind it!
A fascinating read, Mary - thank you! I have a favourite poem I come back to again and again, and it always helps me to reconsider and sometimes reframe my own work.
Incidentally, W H Auden, whom you’ve quoted here, was my great granny’s cousin. Small world! :D
Thank you for this marvelous perspective on poetry. I am among those who have thought "poetry makes my brain hurt" ever since my junior high teacher asked us: "And what does the rope signify?" You have blown that apart, with some wonderful help from help from Marianne Moore. Now going to rethink everything...
Very interesting. I read a book recently called How to read like a writer, and the author shows what a different effect a piece of writing has if it's written out as a poem. Reviewed here: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/7-books-for-writers#%C2%A7how-to-read-like-a-writer-lessons-to-elevate-your-reading-and-writing-practice
You're right about poor teaching. Last year I did a course on literary criticism, and one of the modules was on poetry. The tutor was brilliant. I mean, he managed to make us see the merit in things we all thought we were familiar with, like I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud' (apparently the poem's true title rather than Daffodils). I'd have done more courses with him, but he keeps saying he's retired.
I find the concept of a prose poem a difficult one to get my head around, despite having a Penguin collection of prose poems. The introduction is interesting though. I love this sentence:
"In an age of mass literacy our daily lives are enmeshed in networks of sentences and paragraphs as extensive as any urban grid. The prose poem drive the reading mind beyond the city limits."
> Poetry is poetry because rhythm drives the poem, is essential to its meaning—even if that rhythm doesn’t follow a prescribed form.
Rhythm in writing is an interesting topic for me this month because I just found out that you can do a great deal with it even without structure or rhyme - just by playing with the sounds of syllables. I've written a handful of pieces to explore it and will have a few more by the end of October. It's fascinating.
To be honest, I'm not sure whether what I'm creating is poetry or prose, but regardless, it's been eye opening
I love this! I long to connect with poetry in a deeper way than reading a shortened version on a social media meme. Coming back to poetry always centers and calms my spirit. Poems can be lullaby, song, or mantra. As someone who works with both music and the brain, I really enjoyed this perspective and the research behind it!
A fascinating read, Mary - thank you! I have a favourite poem I come back to again and again, and it always helps me to reconsider and sometimes reframe my own work.
Incidentally, W H Auden, whom you’ve quoted here, was my great granny’s cousin. Small world! :D
Great post, Mary.
And so true about how students are taught to approach poetry.
Thank you for this marvelous perspective on poetry. I am among those who have thought "poetry makes my brain hurt" ever since my junior high teacher asked us: "And what does the rope signify?" You have blown that apart, with some wonderful help from help from Marianne Moore. Now going to rethink everything...
Thank you for mentioning "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies" Mary! I really appreciate it 🤗
I often like to add bits of poetry in my newsletter, and even wrote an original poem in one:
Movies To Help You Love Life: Ten Life-Affirming Films
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/movies-to-help-you-love-life
Sometimes the message is clearer, more profound, and more beautiful in a poem. It's a great art form and very inspirational!