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Loading... An Introduction to English Poetry (2002)by James Fenton
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  RandyMetcalfe | Mar 16, 2013 |    ) soylentgreen23 | Dec 26, 2011 | ) soniaandree | May 14, 2009 | gibbon | Nov 29, 2005 | no reviews | add a review
A wise, absorbing, and surprising introduction to poetry written in English, from one of England's leading poets James Fenton is that rare scholar "not ashamed to admit that he mostly reads for pleasure" (Charles Simic,The New York Review of Books). In this eminently readable guide to his abiding passion, he has distilled the essense of a library's--and a lifetime's--worth of delight. The pleasures of his own verse can be found in abundance here: economy, a natural ease, and most of all, surprise. What is English poetry? Fenton argues that it includes any recited words in English that marshall rhythm for their meaning--among them prisoners's work songs, Broadway show tunes, and the cries of street vendors captured in verse. From these beginnings, Fenton describes the rudiments of--and, most important, the inspiration for--the musical verse we find in books, and concludes with an illuminating discussion of operas and songs. Fenton illustrates his comments with verse from all over the English-speaking world. Catholic in his taste, shrewd in his distinctions, and charmingly frank, Fenton is an ideal guide to everything to do with poetry, from the temperament of poets to their accomplishment, in all its variety. In all his writing, prose or verse, Fenton has always had the virtue of saying, in a way that seems effortless, precisely what lies at the heart of the matter. In this vein,An Introduction to English Poetry is one of his highest accomplishments. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)821.009Literature English & Old English literatures English poetry English poetry {by more than one author} Modified standard subdivisions History, description, critical appraisal of English poetry not limited by time period or kind of formLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.63)
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Wikipedia in English (2)
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The style of this introduction is especially engaging. Fenton is immediate and honest in his opinions and prejudices (he doesn’t think much of free verse or poetry written for the eye rather than with an eye to oral presentation). But he backs up his views with reference to fabulous examples from the history of English poetry. For example, he thinks the villanelle—a form borrowed from the French—can’t be much more than trivial or comic. And then he proceeds to show how in the hands of a master, like Dylan Thomas, even this trivial form can be immensely effective and powerful. Think of Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”.
Fenton is also very good on linking the aspects of poetry (rhythm, rhyme, metre) to meaning. This is always a challenge, since it can sometimes seem that a poet is merely technically brilliant. But Fenton argues persuasively that a mark of good poetry is when technical brilliance serves the meaning that the poet wishes to express. I find him convincing.
The final few chapters on free verse and song and opera and such seemed to race a bit. Certainly I could have stood a bit more content on just why free verse has apparently been so dominant in the 20th century and whether any of it is any good. But you can’t do everything in such a brief introduction to English poetry. And after all, it is an introduction. As such, it should and will prompt the reader to want to pursue an interest in English poetry further. Recommended. (