4 ms·

Wish I "got" poetry. Spent 4 years studying literature and got a degree in writing, and throughout it all poetry just annoyed me. I think I made a genuine effor

Wish I "got" poetry. Spent 4 years studying literature and got a degree in writing, and throughout it all poetry just annoyed me. I think I made a genuine effort but I couldn't get over feelings of "get to the point" or "so what?" Everything from Byron to Billy Collins. Doesn't do anything for me.

rapfaria 7y ago
Have you ever been touched by writing outside of poetry?
- komali2 7y ago
  Yes, all the time. Typically fiction, sometimes non.
billfruit 7y ago
May be you could try it once again, I found that I couldn't get it too while I was younger. The work that greatly helped me to appreciate poetry better was, "Understanding Poetry" by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes.
jhedwards 7y ago
Have you read any Chinese poetry? AFAIK it inspired the "concrete" movement in western poetry. In just a few characters a Chinese poem can create a whole world. So while western poetry to me often just seems like word craft, Chinese poetry answers the "what's the point" question by creating a rich world in your mind with as few words as possible. It demonstrates that with just a few subtle linguistic cues the human mind can be made to simulate an entire world. And, more importantly, if those cues are well chosen that world will be complete with memory, emotion, sound, light, and movement. Not because those things are in the poem itself, they exist in your response to the poem as the negative space is filled in by your imagination. In that way poets are engineers not of language but of the human mind.
- hahajk 7y ago
  Would you recommend any English translations?
  - manifestsilence 7y ago
    Robert Bly did a collection of haiku with essays accompanying them that's good.
  - Pete_D 7y ago
    I liked this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P719UYi6uRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P719UYi6uRQ. It explains the structure of a particular type of Chinese poem, with translations of a couple of classics, and gives a good feel for the overall "flavour".
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
iscrewyou 7y ago
I have a suggestion you might like: Read (not listen to) hip-hop. Old school hip hop such as 2Pac, Nas, Rakim, or new school artists like Lupe, Common, Eminem. Hip hop is really poetry. It might help you understand the rhyme schemes and stanza structure.
- montecarl 7y ago
  I really enjoy reading hip hop lyrics. I mostly use genius.com because the annotated lyrics can be very helpful. I would also suggest reading Kendrick Lamar. Here is one of my favorites, lyrically: https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-sing-about-me-im-dying-of-thirst-lyrics https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-sing-about-me-im-dying-of-...
- fruffy 7y ago
  As another person to whom poetry does nothing this is also a good example. I listen to a lot of Hip Hop, but the lyricism was never part of the appeal for me. I view the rapper's voice as merely another instrument. This includes the flow or cadence they may use.
- manifestsilence 7y ago
  Agreed. For more modern ones, Dessa and Kate Tempest are also really great.
52-6F-62 7y ago
I studied literature as well [granted, did not matriculate] but precisely because I fell in love with literature and poetry (already having been involved in music) in high school. Did you ever read any Canadian poetry? Some of our more celebrated poets were a little more literal, or prosaic, or largely storytellers. A prime example is Al Purdy (here performed by both himself reading, and in a dramatic presentation by Gord Downie [RIP]. Hopefully this is easily digestible as a sampling over pointing you to pages with words on them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKeczB3wrg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKeczB3wrg
- Naga 7y ago
  What a great combination. I didn't know it existed! I discovered Purdy through Downie years ago, but didn't know about this. I'm still in such grief over Downie dying just over two years ago, which is strange for a man that I did not know and only met briefly once. I have been a Hip fan since I became conscious of music and culture and it just grew into something I could no longer contain. Thank you for sharing.
  - 52-6F-62 7y ago
    Man, the whole country is still grieving over the loss of that man. I get it. (Side note: his last solo album is like a blow to the heart. “Introduce Yourself”) If you liked that you should dive down the YouTube rabbit hole. There is at least one dramatic reading by Gordon Pinsent as well: https://youtu.be/yCBKlGbsL-o https://youtu.be/yCBKlGbsL-o
manifestsilence 7y ago
Here's a short essay on it I wrote a long time ago. I would rewrite a lot of this now for general quality, but I think my thesis is sound: https://albertstimson.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/why-poetry/ https://albertstimson.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/why-poetry/ Of note: this takes a fairly strict definition of what poetry even is, and I would argue that a lot of things that superficially look like poems don't accomplish any of what makes a poem be worthwhile as something different from prose.
ALittleLight 7y ago
Poems by themselves are nothing more than clever phrases. When they connect with important moments or emotions they become much more powerful. I recall memorizing and composing poems with my mother on long car trips growing up. Some of which I can still recite. I remember revising a poem for school, sat on the toilet, next to a shower on full hot, because the heater was out and the house was freezing cold. Birds chirping in the morning remind me of the line "And smale fowles maken melodye that slepen al the night with open ye" in the voice of a memorable teacher who predicted the only thing I'd recall from his class was the intro to the Canterbury Tales. Poetry is a lot like idiomatic code. It looks right. It feels right. There's a thrill when a terse expression efficiently accomplishes exactly what's needed.
runevault 7y ago
I already appreciated poetry, but this book a friend who previously didn't realize I wrote (prose but interested in getting back into poetry) helped me get an even deeper appreciation, as it explores different poets works, then after each poet's section challenges you to write a poem taking techniques from one or more of the poems by the poet of the prior section. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FSXKI/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FSXKI/ And after that I read this which I also appreciated https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L203TW/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L203TW/
robocat 7y ago
My extremely smart ex got an English degree: she watched the movies instead of reading the assigned books. I believe English is best spoken; if you really want to understand poetry, perhaps get involved with spoken poetry. Caveat: I am more of a literal engineer type, personally I don't see much pleasure in poetry, although I admire the occasional evocative piece.

rapfaria 7y ago

Have you ever been touched by writing outside of poetry?

komali2 7y ago
Yes, all the time. Typically fiction, sometimes non.

billfruit 7y ago

May be you could try it once again, I found that I couldn't get it too while I was younger. The work that greatly helped me to appreciate poetry better was, "Understanding Poetry" by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes.

jhedwards 7y ago

Have you read any Chinese poetry? AFAIK it inspired the "concrete" movement in western poetry. In just a few characters a Chinese poem can create a whole world. So while western poetry to me often just seems like word craft, Chinese poetry answers the "what's the point" question by creating a rich world in your mind with as few words as possible. It demonstrates that with just a few subtle linguistic cues the human mind can be made to simulate an entire world. And, more importantly, if those cues are well chosen that world will be complete with memory, emotion, sound, light, and movement. Not because those things are in the poem itself, they exist in your response to the poem as the negative space is filled in by your imagination. In that way poets are engineers not of language but of the human mind.

hahajk 7y ago
Would you recommend any English translations?
- manifestsilence 7y ago
  Robert Bly did a collection of haiku with essays accompanying them that's good.
- Pete_D 7y ago
  I liked this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P719UYi6uRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P719UYi6uRQ. It explains the structure of a particular type of Chinese poem, with translations of a couple of classics, and gives a good feel for the overall "flavour".
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

iscrewyou 7y ago

I have a suggestion you might like: Read (not listen to) hip-hop. Old school hip hop such as 2Pac, Nas, Rakim, or new school artists like Lupe, Common, Eminem. Hip hop is really poetry. It might help you understand the rhyme schemes and stanza structure.

montecarl 7y ago
I really enjoy reading hip hop lyrics. I mostly use genius.com because the annotated lyrics can be very helpful. I would also suggest reading Kendrick Lamar. Here is one of my favorites, lyrically: https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-sing-about-me-im-dying-of-thirst-lyrics https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-sing-about-me-im-dying-of-...
fruffy 7y ago
As another person to whom poetry does nothing this is also a good example. I listen to a lot of Hip Hop, but the lyricism was never part of the appeal for me. I view the rapper's voice as merely another instrument. This includes the flow or cadence they may use.
manifestsilence 7y ago
Agreed. For more modern ones, Dessa and Kate Tempest are also really great.

52-6F-62 7y ago

I studied literature as well [granted, did not matriculate] but precisely because I fell in love with literature and poetry (already having been involved in music) in high school. Did you ever read any Canadian poetry? Some of our more celebrated poets were a little more literal, or prosaic, or largely storytellers. A prime example is Al Purdy (here performed by both himself reading, and in a dramatic presentation by Gord Downie [RIP]. Hopefully this is easily digestible as a sampling over pointing you to pages with words on them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKeczB3wrg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKeczB3wrg

Naga 7y ago
What a great combination. I didn't know it existed! I discovered Purdy through Downie years ago, but didn't know about this. I'm still in such grief over Downie dying just over two years ago, which is strange for a man that I did not know and only met briefly once. I have been a Hip fan since I became conscious of music and culture and it just grew into something I could no longer contain. Thank you for sharing.
- 52-6F-62 7y ago
  Man, the whole country is still grieving over the loss of that man. I get it. (Side note: his last solo album is like a blow to the heart. “Introduce Yourself”) If you liked that you should dive down the YouTube rabbit hole. There is at least one dramatic reading by Gordon Pinsent as well: https://youtu.be/yCBKlGbsL-o https://youtu.be/yCBKlGbsL-o

manifestsilence 7y ago

Here's a short essay on it I wrote a long time ago. I would rewrite a lot of this now for general quality, but I think my thesis is sound: https://albertstimson.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/why-poetry/ https://albertstimson.wordpress.com/2015/01/23/why-poetry/ Of note: this takes a fairly strict definition of what poetry even is, and I would argue that a lot of things that superficially look like poems don't accomplish any of what makes a poem be worthwhile as something different from prose.

ALittleLight 7y ago

Poems by themselves are nothing more than clever phrases. When they connect with important moments or emotions they become much more powerful. I recall memorizing and composing poems with my mother on long car trips growing up. Some of which I can still recite. I remember revising a poem for school, sat on the toilet, next to a shower on full hot, because the heater was out and the house was freezing cold. Birds chirping in the morning remind me of the line "And smale fowles maken melodye that slepen al the night with open ye" in the voice of a memorable teacher who predicted the only thing I'd recall from his class was the intro to the Canterbury Tales. Poetry is a lot like idiomatic code. It looks right. It feels right. There's a thrill when a terse expression efficiently accomplishes exactly what's needed.

runevault 7y ago

I already appreciated poetry, but this book a friend who previously didn't realize I wrote (prose but interested in getting back into poetry) helped me get an even deeper appreciation, as it explores different poets works, then after each poet's section challenges you to write a poem taking techniques from one or more of the poems by the poet of the prior section. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FSXKI/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FSXKI/ And after that I read this which I also appreciated https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L203TW/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L203TW/

robocat 7y ago

My extremely smart ex got an English degree: she watched the movies instead of reading the assigned books. I believe English is best spoken; if you really want to understand poetry, perhaps get involved with spoken poetry. Caveat: I am more of a literal engineer type, personally I don't see much pleasure in poetry, although I admire the occasional evocative piece.