Reading poetry - by Peter Barry (Paperback)

About the Book

This book is about reading and studying poetry. Using fully-worked examples and complete poems wherever possible, it shows all the key elements of poetry 'at work' in poemsThis book is about reading and studying poetry. Using fully-worked examples and complete poems wherever possible, it shows all the key elements of poetry 'at work' in poems

Book Synopsis

Witty, direct and articulate, Peter Barry illustrates the key elements of poetry at work, covering many different kinds of verse, from traditional forms to innovative versions of the art, such as 'concrete' poetry, minimalism and word-free poems. The emphasis is on meanings rather than words, looking beyond technical devices like alliteration and assonance so that poems are understood as dynamic structures creating specific ends and effects.

The three sections cover progressively expanding areas - 'Reading the lines' deals with such basics as imagery, diction and metre; 'Reading between the lines' concerns broader matters, such as poetry and context, and the reading of sequences of poems, while 'Reading beyond the lines' looks at 'theorised' readings and the 'textual genesis' of poems from manuscript to print.

Reading poetry is for students, lecturers and teachers looking for new ways of discussing poetry, and all those seriously interested in poetry, whether as readers or writers.

From the Back Cover

This book is about reading and studying poetry. Using fully-worked examples and complete poems wherever possible, it shows all the key elements of poetry 'at work' in poems, rather than in artificial isolation. It covers many different kinds of verse, from traditional and mainstream forms which have been in existence for hundreds of years, to innovative and experimental versions of the art, such as 'concrete' poetry, various kinds of minimalism, and poems which contain no words at all. The emphasis is on responding to meanings rather than just to words, and the reader is encouraged to look beyond technical devices such as alliteration and assonance, so that poems are understood and enjoyed as dynamic structures geared towards the creation of specific ends and effects.

The three sections of the book cover progressively expanding areas of concern - 'Reading the lines' deals with basic matters, such as imagery, diction, metre, and form; 'Reading between the lines' concerns broader matters, such as poetry and context, and the reading of sequences and groups of poems, while 'Reading beyond the lines' looks at 'theorised' readings, at how place and time in poetry are never quite what they seem, and at the 'textual genesis' of poems from manuscript to print.

The book is aimed at those studying poetry on university-level literature courses, and at lecturers and teachers who are looking for new ways of imagining, presenting and discussing poetry. It is also for all those seriously interested in poetry, whether as readers or writers, or both.

Review Quotes

"Peter Barry's "Reading Poetry" succeeds in the most difficult of tasks: it is at once introductory, sure to help novice students of poetry find their way through what may seem a bewildering maze of 'poetic' features, and yet advanced enough to challenge the most sophisticated reader. It moves outward from the poetry building blocks - line, meter, image - to questions of poetry and visuality, poetry and space-time, poetry and theory. Commonsensical, wise, witty and open-minded, "Reading Poetry" draws on an impressively wide set of examples, from Thomas Wyatt to such experimentalists as Tom Raworth. This wonderfully unpretentious book is a classic of its kind." -Professor Marjorie Perloff, Stanford University

About the Author

Peter Barry is Professor of English at Aberystwyth University