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Forms and shapes of poetry


Stiggy

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Does anybody know any good poetry books on form, or have a strong emphasis on form?

 

I got a book a few years back from a good friend, called "The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within" and it has opened my eyes to the beauty of form, and has inspired me to experiment in ways I never dreamed of.

 

First and foremost, form excites me, because it encourages me to write in ways which bring out all kinds of new expressions that, without form, would be forever missing from paper. When I use the different facets of each form to help shape a poem in a specific way, it's cool seeing how creative I can be in such confines.

 

Second, form helps me develop and write in my own forms better, because it gives me so many possibilities I would otherwise not utilize. It also shows me that the more I write in a set form, even my own forms, that I become more aware of the different ways poetry can be used to affect the overall tones and moods of my poetry, based on the shape of the poem, and how it affects syntax.

 

Now, I never really studied form, or practiced it until I got this book, but I'm glad I have. Forms are so great to work with, and it encourages one to play with words in ways that can be highly satisfying, as well as down right fun.

 

So, if anybody knows of any that are worth adding to my library, let me know.... emphasis on form.

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I don't really have any different recommendations to add, but I'd certainly second The Ode Less Travelled. When I did my poetry module last year at university, Fry's novel was perfect for teaching me the intricacies of form (before reading it I was completely lost). His wonderful way with words and knack of keeping things clear and concise really helped me, though.

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  • 5 months later...

I recently listened to the audio version of The Ode Less Travelled with Fry reading his own words: absolutely brilliant – I felt like it opened up world of possibilities. I read Writing Metrical Poetry by William Baer a few years ago and it gave me a similar feeling, although perhaps following on from Fry’s book it may not seem to have as much wit or passion, but I still recommend  it. I had never written poetry before I read that – I think because I lacked confidence. From Baer’s book I gained lots of confidence from understanding metre and how to control the form and shape of poetry, and I wrote quite a lot of my own after that.



 

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