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?
Introduction
1: Truths universally acknowledged
2: Poetry's areas of authority and aptitude
3: The language of poetry and its particular devices
4: The kinds of poetry and their contexts
5: Poets and readers
Conclusion
Further Reading
Index
"...achieves an air of indispensability, as both a guidebook for the enquiring beginner, and as a handbook of poetic values for the determined practitioner." - Simon Armitage
"Everyone near the beginning of their life in poetry will want to have this book, and everyone further down the track will value it as a stimulation." - Andrew Motion
"A bold encounter with the questions that make his subject so compelling." - Professor Stephen Regan, Durham University
ISBN : 9780199229116
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