The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics, Including Odd and Invented Forms

by Lewis Turco

For decades Lewis Turco’s The Book of Forms has been standard in the libraries of writers, teachers, scholars, and others who care about the craft of poetry. Now Turco has expanded and updated “the poet’s bible” once again, this time incorporating a collection of “odd and invented forms,” which adds many interesting ancient and modern prosodies and forms with new examples written by contemporary poets old and young. Turco presents “The Rules of Scansion,” discusses the “levels” of poetry—the typographical, the sonic, the sensory, and the ideational—and proffers the ever-useful “Form-Finder Index.”

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Writing, Literature

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Lewis Putnam Turco was an American poet, teacher, and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Turco was an advocate for Formalist poetry (or New Formalism) in the United States.

Reviews

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a poet and teacher of reading and writing poetry, whenever I read The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics, Including Odd and Invented Forms, Revised and Expanded Edition, I become better at my own reading, writing and teaching. Anyone who cares about poetry should make a habit of reading this book over and over.

[Magdalena Cassel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious for any poetry geek. Great for a workout if you haven't been writing much lately; attempting form is always a good exercise to get you back in shape, and Turco's selection is broad enough that even the most skeptical free verse devotee will find something to spark her interest.

[Marc Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of poetry forms, with lots of examples. Very detailed and clearly explained, providing an essential poetry guide book for both beginner and experienced poets.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this book is great at listing poetic forms and explaining them. But listen, Lewis Turco is --as my poetry friend put it --older than a Boomer, and it is hard for him to accept that poetry exists mostly outside of formulaic meter. He claims that there is only poetry written in verse -- meaning in meter -- and if it's not written in verse, then it is prose. Therefore any poem, even if lineated, if it is not written in meter is a "prose poem." Furthermore, there is no such thing as "free verse" since "verse" means that it is written in meter and therefore not "free." *giant eye roll* Get with the times, my man. It also made following along confusing at times when he would refer to a lineated poem as a "prose poem."

The beautiful thing about language is that it changes. Definitions change. Once upon a time "awful" meant "full of awe" / "worthy of awe." No one uses it to mean that anymore. If I read a book and someone asked how it was and I said "awful," they're not going to understand that the book filled me with awe. They're going to think that it was terrible.

It doesn't make sense to cling desperately to these staunch ideas of what is or what is not poetry. No one is going to understand you.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, maybe 2 stars, but I think, as a book of reference (especially when teaching freshman poetry in the future), this is a good guide for fledgling poets who may be unfamiliar with the terms/forms in this book. Moving forward, though, the book doesn't offer much in the way of how these forms actually work with the content they house. It simply says, for example, see this? A shadowbox! Ok, a sonnet! Ok, next!

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought I’d like this book but just couldn’t finish it. Thought I’d understand more about poetry but this didn’t inspire me at all. Couldn’t finish it

[Mike Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly exhaustive in its breadth, but explanation is strongly biased by Turco's own poetic views

[Swell Versed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this book to learn more about poetry forms, and it is definitely the classic resource on that subject. I just wish it was better formatted and organized, i.e. if the forms were categorized based on some criteria (e.g. syllable count and/or metrical requirements, historical/chronological/style).

[Pilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful reference book of poetics.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are serious about poetry, you probably need to read this. This is a book about poetry on steroids!