Suppose you invented a way to concentrate all the best things people ever thought and felt into a very few words. And suppose you did something to those words to make them pleasant, beautiful, unforgettable, and moving. Suppose this invention could get people to notice more of their own lives, sharpen their awareness, pay attention to things they’d never really considered before. Suppose it could make their lives — and them — better.
You’d really have something there.
Well, don’t look now, but that invention has been around for at least 5,000 years — probably more. Millions of people love it and make it part of their lives. They turn to it when they need a smile, a lift, a moment of thoughtfulness. And millions of people write it, too.
What is this fantastic creation? Poetry. And it includes the work of Homer, Sappho, Kalidasa, Dante, Shakespeare, Ono no Komachi, Keats, Basho, Byron, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Yeats, Plath, Ginsberg, Amiri Imamu Baraka, Adrienne Rich, Gerald Stern, Lucille Clifton, and many others. It’s been a great five millennia, and we’re starting the sixth in better shape than ever.
Poetry saw a tremendous surge in popularity at the end of the 20th century — from Magnetic Poetry mania to the explosion of poetry slams across the country to an increased public appreciation of poets. And here in the 21st century, poetry continues to win more and more people over. And why not? It’s great stuff.
We love poetry so much that we wrote this book. Most poets write poems for anyone willing to read and listen. But sometimes between the poet’s notebook and the listening public a break occurs. Our hope and vision was to offer a book that gets past the things that sometimes divide poets and readers, things like technique, style, and school or genre, and the random distribution of books, poetry books, and journals.
Our goal in writing Poetry For Dummies was to bridge the literary gaps and throw open the doors of poetry — past, present, and future — to all. And, our hope is that if you say you “don’t get” poetry or “don’t like” poetry, this book just may change your mind.
Oh, and one promise: If you let poetry into your life — if you read aloud and read attentively, discover how to interpret poetry for yourself — you’ll start seeing benefits, including a broader life, a more sensitive awareness, and a more flexible spirit.
If you are a poet or want to try your hand at poetry, welcome to an ancient and ever-changing craft with many traditions, rewards, and challenges.
About This Book
Poetry For Dummies is for everyone. In these pages, we serve as your guides in the art of reading and interpreting poetry. We hope you will discover poets you haven’t heard of or read before, revisit some old favorites, and pick up some pointers on poetry that will bring you a new understanding and enjoyment of the art.
Besides being a good introduction to the history of world poetry, Poetry For Dummies also offers a lot of practical information, too. Not sure of a literary term? Check our glossary in Appendix A. Looking for poetry on the Web? Our resource guide in Appendix C will point you in the direction of a few good places to start. Have a poem you’ve written that you want to get out into the world? Read Chapter 13 for information and tips on how to get out and read your poem to an audience or send it out for publication.
You can use this book’s many writing exercises to brush up on your writing skills, add structure to your writing life, or help you break out of writer’s block. Have a broken heart and want to write a traditional poem to bring your loved one back? Check out the section on writing sonnets and traditional forms (we offer no guarantees, of course).
When you start thinking about poetry, you will notice it’s all around you. We give you tips on where to find poetry, where to find poetry readings and other events, and which journals to pick up if you want to read the latest poetry being published.
These are just a few of the ways you can make use of this book. The rest, as they say, is up to you.
How This Book Is Organized
This book does four things at once:
It introduces you to reading and interpreting poetry.
It introduces you to writing poetry.
It tells you about poetry history, movements, and techniques.
It guides you to good ways to find out more about poetry (organizations and magazines devoted to poets and poetry, as well as Web sites and places to attend readings).
This book does have a logical organization, and we invite you to use it. But by all means, be your own guide. Go straight to the parts you find most interesting. Flip through. See what looks good. If a poem beckons you, stop and read it. We’ll wait.
A good beginning is Chapter 1, our all-purpose introduction to the art. We lay a special emphasis on reading aloud, a skill many people haven’t exercised since they left grade school. We help you get your reading muscles in shape and ready for any poem that comes your way. And we close with a writing exercise for readers who can’t wait to start writing their own poetry.
The following sections explain how the book is broken down and lets you know what you can expect to find in each part.
Part I: Reading and Understanding Poetry
What is poetry, anyway? Where does it come from and why is it important? In this part, we define poetry and discuss where it stands at the beginning of the 21st century. Here you also find a short course on the essential skill of reading aloud (the best way to get to know poetry).
Reading poems is fine. But thinking about what they mean and how the poets got to that meaning is even better. So in Chapters 2 and 3, we look at how poems work. We survey the elements that make up poetry, beginning with the ways poets work with language, including the many varieties of metaphor, symbol, speaker, and situation. Then we move to subject and tone.
Chapter 4 talks about interpretation — the best way to get the most out of the poems you read. Becoming a good interpreter of poetry means paying attention to what you think, becoming more alert and sensitive, and being very aware of detail and implication.
Some of the greatest poetry in history comes to us from poets of long ago. But we are readers of now, and most of us need a few special skills to get the most out of poems from the past. Those skills are the heart and soul of Chapter 5.
Part II: In the Beginning Was a Poem
In this part, you get to flip through the family photos, so to speak. We figured you would want a little background on the whole endeavor, so we load everybody on a bus and roar, tilting from side to side, through a quick tour of the 5,000 years of poetry. It has been an eventful 5,000 years, we can tell you that. And of all these poetic centuries, the 20th may have been most poetic of all. We look forward to an even more poetic 21st! Our tour of poetic history is global because poetry is global — so you’ll read about the poetry of India, China, Japan, Africa, and South America and discover their greats and golden ages alongside Europe and the United States.
Part III: Writing Poetry: A Guide for Aspiring Poets
Everyone is waiting for the next Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson to appear on the literary horizon. Here we show you a sampling of techniques and good approaches, as well as suggest some standards for you to shoot for. Want to submit your poems for publication? Enter the performance scene? You’ll find some advice on these endeavors, too. The writing exercises collected here should bring out the poet in just about anyone. Warning: Writing poetry can be habit-forming.
Part IV: The Part of Tens
This book wouldn’t be a For Dummies book without a Part of Tens. The Part of Tens in this book gives you ten myths about poetry (true and untrue), ten great poems to memorize for life, and ten love poems for you to read and enjoy. This part is the perfect place to turn if you have just a few minutes here or there and want to soak up as much information and poetry as you can. Go to The Part of Tens for your regular quick poetry fix.
Part V: Appendixes
This part is where you can find a glossary of literary and poetic terms and a timeline for the whole history of world poetry.
You’ll also find resources for ways to get even more poetry. We list Web sites that specialize in poetry, locations of poetry centers, and places around the country that offer poetry events of all kinds. We tell you about the big poetry festivals throughout the country (Cowboy poetry? You bet!), and steer you toward some of the major magazines and journals that publish poetry. We also include a brief list of books helpful to readers of poetry and especially aspiring poets.
And then we blow kisses, saddle the mules, cue the organist, and sprint madly around until we melt into the sunset.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout the book, you will encounter icons, which are the pictures in the margin that alert you to a special feature, or a piece of information, advice, or instruction. They’re meant to help direct you to the indispensable moments, the absolute honey of the book. We use the following seven icons:
This is one icon you see a lot of throughout this book. Whenever we quote a passage, we mean for you to read it aloud. Poetry is meant to be read aloud for the best and fullest effect. This is your opportunity to give your voice to poetry. And if you seize that opportunity, you’ll get the most out of Poetry For Dummies.
When you see this icon, you can count on finding an essential bit of advice that will make you a better reader, interpreter, or writer of poetry.
This icon points to historical or technical information of great value. So open up your brain and get ready to get technical. But if you’re just looking for the basics on a subject, you can skip over the information flagged by this icon and come back later when you have more time.
Some thoughts are simply essential, such as the sentence, “Poetry is meant to be read aloud.” Because such sentences appear more than once, we tag them with this icon so you remember to put them in your brain for keeps.
When you see this icon, you know to avoid the idea or habit it highlights. Or at least handle the topic gently.
This icon alerts you to lists of sources for some of the greatest poetry in history. You don’t have to read all these books — but if you’re wondering, “What’s so great about Homer?” or “Who is this Emily Dickinson anyway?” an excellent way to find the answer is to sit down and read a few lines. So fill your bookbag and fill your mind!
The gal in this icon is Calliope, one of the Greek muses of poetry and, fittingly enough, the head of all the muses. She pops up whenever we encounter something truly inspiring, when you can really see the insight and invigoration of poetry happening right before your eyes.
Where to Go from Here
Poetry is for everyone. Poets write for the world, which, last time we checked, is where you live. And knowing about poetry can make your world better.
The idea is not to know it all; nobody ever could. The idea is to get started, to discover a little about how poetry works and how writing poetry works, and then blaze your own path. Think of this book as your first step in forging your very own personal taste in poetry, or in exploring your own powers as a poet. Talk about the thrill of beginnings! So what are you waiting for? Turn the page and dive right in.