An Invitation To Poetry

E-Book Overview

Designed for introductory students, this text represents a fresh approach to the study of poetry. The elements of poetry, both formal and structural aspects, are presented in a simple, highly available language. The text incorporates the latest developments in criticism such as the feminist perspective in an unobtrusive way.

E-Book Content

fwm. BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY AN INVITATION TO POETRY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/invitationtopoetOOpari AN INVITATION TO POETRY JAY PARini Middlebury College PRENTICE-HALL, INC., ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NEW JERSEY 07632 — Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Parini, Jay. An invitation to poetry. Includes index. 1. English poetry. criticism. 3. 2. English poetry American poetry. History and criticism. PR1 175.P3572 1987 ISBN 0-13-505546-6 5. — History and American poetry Poetry. I. Title. 86-18662 808.1 (pbk.) Editorial/production supervision and interior design: Hilda Tauber Cover design: Bruce D. Kenselaar Cover photo by Eliot Porter Manufacturing buyer: Ray Keating The acknowledgments on pages 319-322 constitute an extension of the copyright page. © A 1987 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Division of Englewood Simon Cliffs, All rights resented. 8c Schuster New Jersey 07632 No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printecl in the 10 9 United States of America 87654321 ISBN D-13-SDSS4b-ti ! Prentice-Hall International (UK) Limited, London Prentice-Hall of Australia Pty. Limited, Sydney Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., Toronto Prentice-Hall Hispanoamericana, S. A., Mexico Prentice-Hall OF India Private Limited, New Delhi Prentice-Hall of Japan, Inc., Tokyo Prentice-Hall of Southeast Asia Pi e. Ltd., Singapore Edi fora Prentice-Hall do Brasil, L da., Rio de Janeiro i To ROBERT PACE —poet, critic, and friend Contents A Word to the Teacher ix A Word to the Student xi 1 What Poetry? 2 Close Reading 9 3 The Tone and Context Is 1 Poet’s Voice: * 4 Image and Idea 5 From Metaphor 6 Irony 7 The Poem 8 Dramatic Monologue 9 The 10 I Lyric Meter 12 Rhyme 27 to Symbol 36 50 63 as Story Poem he Meditative 11 16 93 110 Poem 128 137 150 vii Contents viii 13 Poetic Shapes 14 Judging 15 and Forms 162 182 Quality in Poetry Poets in Dialogue 200 ANTHOLOGY I II Matters of Life and Death A Time for Joy, a Time for Grief III War, and Rumors of War IV Aspects of Love V The 213 230 241 261 Animals Are Coming 280 APPENDIX A: Writing About Poetry APPENDIX B: Writing Your Index of Literary Terms Index of Poets, Poems,