Literature

Published 05-16-2001

<b>Demystify and appreciate the pleasures of poetry</b><br /><br />Sometimes it seems like there are as many definitions of poetry as there are poems. Coleridge defined poetry as &ldquo;the best words in the best order.&rdquo; St. Augustine called it &ldquo;the Devil&rsquo;s wine.&rdquo; For Shelley, poetry was &ldquo;the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds.&rdquo; But no matter how you define it, poetry has exercised a hold upon the hearts and minds of people for more than five millennia. That&rsquo;s because for the attentive reader, poetry has the power to send chills shooting down the spine and lightning bolts flashing in the brain&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;to throw open the doors of perception and hone our sensibilities to a scalpel&rsquo;s edge. <p><i>Poetry For Dummies</i> is a great guide to reading and writing poems, not only for beginners, but for anyone interested in verse.&nbsp; From Homer to Basho, Chaucer to Rumi, Shelley to Ginsberg, it introduces you to poetry&rsquo;s greatest practitioners. It arms you with the tools you need to understand and appreciate poetry in all its forms, and to explore your own talent as a poet. Discover how to:</p> <ul> <li>Understand poetic language and forms</li> <li>Interpret poems</li> <li>Get a handle on poetry through the ages</li> <li>Find poetry readings near you</li> <li>Write your own poems</li> <li>Shop your work around to publishers</li> </ul> <p>Don&rsquo;t know the difference between an iamb and a trochee? Worry not, this friendly guide demystifies the jargon, and it covers a lot more ground besides, including:</p> <ul> <li>Understanding subject, tone, narrative; and poetic language</li> <li>Mastering the three steps to interpretation</li> <li>Facing the challenges of older poetry</li> <li>Exploring 5,000 years of verse, from Mesopotamia to the global village</li> <li>Writing open-form poetry</li> <li>Working with traditional forms of verse</li> <li>Writing exercises for aspiring poets</li> <li>Getting published</li> </ul> <p>From Sappho to Clark Coolidge, and just about everyone in between, <i>Poetry For Dummies</i> puts you in touch with the greats of modern and ancient poetry. Need guidance on composing a ghazal, a tanka, a sestina, or a psalm? This is the book for you.</p>