Poetry: A Very Short Introduction
- ISBN-10
- 0192545280
- ISBN-13
- 9780192545282
- Series
- Poetry
- Category
- Literary Criticism
- Pages
- 143
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2019-09-26
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Bernard O'Donoghue
Description
Poetry, arguably, has a greater range of conceptual meaning than perhaps any other term in English. At the most basic level everyone can recognise it—it is a kind of literature that uses special linguistic devices of organization and expression for aesthetic effect. However, far grander claims have been made for poetry than this—such as Shelley's that the poets 'are the unacknowledged legislators of the world', and that poetry is 'a higher truth'. In this Very Short Introduction, Bernard O'Donoghue provides a fascinating look at the many different forms of writing which have been called 'poetry'—from the Greeks to the present day. As well as questioning what poetry is, he asks what poetry is for, and considers contemporary debates on its value. Is there a universality to poetry? And does it have a duty of public utility and responsibility? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2018-09-17
- 240 pages
- Paperback
- Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency
Similar books
-
Don't Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poems
By Stephanie Burt“The Obscure Lives of the Poets,” 247 “Personals,” 80–81 “Poem Without Angel Food,” 247–248 ShallCross, 247 Wroth, Mary, 53 Wyatt, Thomas: “My lute, awake,” 59–60 Yang, Bee, 254–255 Yang, Kao Kalia: The Song Poet, 254–255 Yap, Arthur, ...
-
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children
By Jack Prelutsky"City Lights" and “Some People" from poems by Rachel Field. ... Reprinted by permission of McGraw-HillBook Company. McIntoshandotis, Inc., for “Rhinos Purple. Hippos Green" from BREAKFast, Books & DREAMs by Michael Patrick Hearn.
-
The Situation of Poetry: Contemporary Poetry and Its Traditions
By Robert PinskyIn this book Robert Pinsky writes about contemporary poetry as it reflects its modernist and Romantic past.
-
The Promise of Hope: New and Selected Poems, 1964-2013
By Kofi AwoonorThis engaging volume serves as a fitting contribution to the inaugural cohort of books in the African Poetry Book Series.
-
The New American Poetry, 1945-1960
By Donald Allen"Donald Allen's prophetic anthology had an electrifying effect on two generations, at least, of American poets and readers.
-
The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry
By J. D. McClatchyGathers selected modern poems from around the world
-
A Poet's Guide to Poetry
By Mary KinzieFor this new edition, Kinzie has carefully reworked the introductory material and first chapter, as well as amended the annotated bibliography to include the most recent works of criticism.
-
Radical as Reality: Form and Freedom in American Poetry
By Peter Campion... Jim, 200 Pritchett, V. S., 115 Ransom, John Crowe, 91, 95 Riley, Atsuro, 238–41 Rilke, Rainer Maria, 133, 135, 168 Robinson, Edward G., 27 Robinson, Edwin Arlington, 22 Roethke, Theodore, 86 Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 27 Rosenthal, ...
-
The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family
By Mr. John Lithgow(1926–1997) the 1940s, he became friends with Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady (the real-life inspiration for the main character in Kerouac's On the Road). The tight-knit group spontaneously combusted, bursting out ...
-
Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry
By Billy CollinsInspired by Billy Collins’s poem-a-day program with the Library of Congress, Poetry 180 is the perfect anthology for readers who appreciate engaging, thoughtful poems that are an immediate pleasure.