Poemed on a Beach: A Skeptic's Guide to Modern Poetry

by Warren Fulton, David Jaffin

Nonfiction. Poetry Reference. A linguist (Warren Fulton) describes what happens when a poet from New York by way of Germany (David Jaffin) comes to a beach in Florida for a poetry reading. Confronting a curious but cautious international audience, Jaffin finds that although there are many ways to misunderstand what he's saying, there are many more ways of uncovering meaning, even down to levels of truth he himself had not traveled. The book is not only a treatment of how modern-day people respond to a modernist voice, but also how in the process they learn the language of poetry, an unfamiliar idiom struggling for survival in the Information Age. What were first seen as obscurities gradually open onto vistas of mystery, and puzzlement is transformed to appreciation. Thus, POEMED ON A BEACH is a guide to contemporary poetics addressing new and wary readers. As such, it is eminently suited for use in poetry circles and introductory literature classes.

213 pages, Paperback

First published November 22, 2010