English Poetry - General & Miscellaneous - Literary Criticism, Poetic Theory, Poetry - Reference, Prosody
Available on Bookshop
Write a review
Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Log in to track your reading progress.
Overview
In 1993, poet, author, and teacher Robert Wallace wrote an essay, "Meter in English," to clarify and simplify methods of studying the line-by-line rhythms and structure of poetry. When David Baker circulated Wallace's essay to other poets and student of prosody, the ten propositions it contained elicited an excited and powerful reaction from each respondent. Some strongly concurred; others expressed rousing disagreement. United States Poet Laureate Robert Haas called the essay "a paradigm shift" in our understanding of English prosody. David Baker has gathered Wallace's essay, fourteen essay-length responses - from poets as divergent in practice as Timothy Steele and Robert Hass, John Frederick Nims and Eavan Boland - and an extensive afterword by Wallace that brings the argument full circle. With Wallace's ten points as a common benchmark, the respondents have created an unparalleled sampling of thought on the status of meter in poetics today and the rich diversity of opinion on how poems achieve their sound and rhythm. Taken as a whole, the collection becomes a lastingly valuable teaching guide to meter as it's understood by some of its finest scholars and makers.Editorials
Library Journal
In 1993, the poet Robert Wallace sent editor Baker and others an essay (included here) called "Meter in English," which seeks to clarify its subject through a series of propositions, the main being that there are only iambic meters in English. Baker, the author of four books of poetry himself (most recently, After the Reunion, Univ. of Arkansas Pr., 1994), circulated the essay to 14 distinguished formal poets, including Eavan Boland, Dana Gioia, Rachel Hadas, Robert Haas, and Richard Wilbur, each of whom has written a response. These rejoinders range from nodding agreement to vigorous challenge; Annie Finch, for example, sticks up for anapests and dactyls with a devotee's zeal. In the final essay, Robert Wallace returns to meditate on the points raised by the others. There may be more to say on the subject of English prosody in the future, but anyone who tries will have to begin with this exhaustive consideration of the topic. Highly recommended.David Kirby, Florida State Univ., TallahasseeBook Details
Published
January 15, 1997
Publisher
Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 1996.
Pages
352
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781557284228