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Beautiful And Pointless: A Guide To Modern Poetry (2011)

by David Orr(Favorite Author)

3.38 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0061673455 (ISBN13: 9780061673450)

languge

English

genre

Poetry

publisher

Harper

review 1: VOICE – is, for, me the most compelling aspect of this non-fiction text. Orr blends the analytical with his personal that together create a rolling texture offering sharp insights and unnerving apologies. However, in the last chapter Orr leaps into his family life narrating a compelling episode about how they used poetry to buoy his father during a battle with terminal cancer. This dramatic event provides counterbalance to the less satisfying bits in the earlier chapters. Having said this, I commend Orr for taking on the task of attempting to define both poets and their poetry. He readily recognizes their mercuric natures and as he attempts to circumscribe academic politics and fictional territories. Mostly he praises the purpose of poetry with faint damning. “I can�... more�t tell you why you should bother to read poems, or to write them; I can only say that if you do choose to give your attention to poetry, as against all the other things might turn to instead, that choice can be meaningful. There’s little grandeur in this, maybe, but out of such small, unnecessary devotions is the abundance of our lives sometimes made evident.” Here, Orr’s voice is humble and direct: another example of his dexterity – an essential quality of a poet with a compelling voice.
review 2: This has been a really interesting read for me. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to modern poetry, but it does introduce the average person to many common concepts in modern poetry. It discusses some of the issues that arise in modern poetry, and it discusses form in modern poetry. While I don't think everyone would want to read this, I do recommend it to those who are interested in better understanding this subject. It has created a starting point for me at least on a topic where there is often no starting point or explanation offered. less

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