Why Poetry Matters
About This Book
A brief, passionate book about the nature of poetry and its use in the world
Poetry doesnāt matter to most people, observes Jay Parini at the opening of this book. But, undeterred, he commences a deeply felt meditation on poetry, its language and meaning, and its power to open minds and transform lives. By the end of the book, Parini has recovered a truth often obscured by our clamorous culture: without poetry, we live only partially, not fully conscious of the possibilities that life affords. Poetry indeed matters.
A gifted poet and acclaimed teacher, Parini begins by looking at defenses of poetry written over the centuries. He ponders Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, and moves on through Sidney, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Eliot, Frost, Stevens, and others. Parini examines the importance of poetic voice and the mysteries of metaphor. He argues that a poetās originality depends on a deep understanding of the traditions of political poetry, nature poetry, and religious poetry.
Writing with a casual grace, Parini avoids jargon and makes his case in concise, direct terms: the mind of the poet supplies a light to the minds of others, kindling their imaginations, helping them to live their lives. The authorās love of poetry suffuses this insightful bookāa volume for all readers interested in a fresh introduction to the art that lies at the center of Western civilization.
Jay Parini, a poet, novelist, and biographer, is D. E. Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College. Among his many books are five volumes of poetry, most recently The Art of Subtraction: New and Selected Poems. His poems, articles, and reviews appear regularly in such journals as theĀ Atlantic, theĀ New Yorker,Ā Harperās,Ā Poetry, theĀ New York Times Book Review, theĀ Guardian, and theĀ Times Literary Supplement. He lives in Weybridge, VT.
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Table of contents
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Defending Poetry
- 2. Language
- 3. The Personal Voice
- 4. The Way of Metaphor
- 5. Tradition and Originality
- 6. Form and Freedom
- 7. The Politics of Poetry
- 8. A Natural World
- 9. Divine Parameters: A Reading of Four Quartets
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Credits