Full Description
Explore the mystique, power, and beauty of poetry with this easy-to-read guide
Poetry For Dummies, 2nd Edition is an easy-to-follow and insightful guide to poetry designed to unlock your innate ability to understand and appreciate this powerful art form. The authors offer clear discussions of the fundamentals of poetry - including common poetic techniques, key styles of poetry, and effective interpretation strategies - and useful tools and exercises you can use today to improve the ways you write and read poetry.
You'll explore the rich history of poetry and find out what genres and styles of this oldest form of literature speak directly to you. You'll also discover how to understand the themes, metaphors, and meanings that animate all sorts of poetry and help you uncover new depths of substance in your favorite writings.
Inside:
Expert instruction on how to work with traditional forms of verse, write poetry, and understand how different genres and eras of poetry relate to each other
Hands-on exercises to help you write your first - or next - poem
A comprehensive discussion of common poetry terminology, complete with definitions of everything from iambs to trochees, tankas, and psalms
An eye-opening and exciting guide for anyone interested in poetry, Poetry For Dummies, 2nd Edition is also a must-read for aspiring poets, practicing writers, people who already love poetry, and English teachers everywhere.
Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
About This Book 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
PART 1: READING AND UNDERSTANDING POETRY 5
CHAPTER 1: Knowing Poetry When You See It 7
CHAPTER 2: Reading Poetry Aloud 21
CHAPTER 3: Identifying Subject, Tone, and Narrative 33
CHAPTER 4: Tuning in to Language 45
CHAPTER 5: Practicing the Art of Interpretation 67
PART 2: AN INTELLIGENT HUSTLE THROUGH POETIC HISTORY 89
CHAPTER 6: Connecting with Poems from the Past 91
CHAPTER 7: From Enheduanna to the Golden Ages 105
CHAPTER 8: The Middle Ages through the 18th Century 121
CHAPTER 9: Poetry During the Industrial Revolution 131
CHAPTER 10: The Century of Poetry 139
CHAPTER 11: Poetry in the Digital Age 163
PART 3: WRITING POETRY AND FINDING COMMUNITY 173
CHAPTER 12: Calling the Muse 175
CHAPTER 13: Working with Traditional Forms of Verse 193
CHAPTER 14: Writing Open-Form Poetry 203
CHAPTER 15: Writing Exercises and Prompts for Poets 217
CHAPTER 16: Going Public 235
CHAPTER 17: Getting Published 259
CHAPTER 18: Ten Poems Worth Memorizing 287
CHAPTER 19: Ten Love Poems 295
PART 5: APPENDIXES 303
APPENDIX A: Glossary 305
APPENDIX B: The Poetry For Dummies Reading List 315
PERMISSIONS 323
INDEX 331
