Echoes: Neo-Victorian Poetry

by JaniceT, Emily Thompson (Illustrator)

Step back in time with this collection of Victorian style verse, penned by an award-winning and evocative poet of the modern age. Neo-Victorian poetry, a subset of the Steampunk genre, is once again finding favor. In keeping with this style, Echoes hearkens back to a more elegant era with rhyming schemes and lyrical turns, yet it does so from the vantage point of the 21th century. Once relegated to dusty shelves and largely ignored, a recent resurgence of interest in all things Steampunk is fueling a re-examination of this unique and highly refined art form. JaniceT studied vicariously under Coleridge, Wordsworth and Millay, along with many other acclaimed poets who wrote between 1250 to 1918. Steeped in these profound influences, her writing style echos back to “steamier” times. Brew a cup of tea, find a cozy corner, hope for a rainy day, and indulge in the resonant ambiance of Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry.

Genres: Poetry

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2013

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Echoes" is the first poetry chapbook I've read in a long while. I had the great pleasure of meeting the poet/author, Janice T., during Clockwork Alchemy 2013.

"Echoes" is an interesting take on poetry; Janice T. uses varying rhyme schemes and styles to tell stories.

Three pieces in the collection really stood out for me. "Fox" evoked images of a little fennec, lost in the desert and trying to get home. "1739" is the story of the Rooswijk shipwreck, discovered off the southeast coast of England by an amateur diver in 2004. There were no known survivors of the event, and Janice T. describes the sailors' fright beautifully. The third stand-out piece also evoked a shipwreck: "Drowned Ship of Prey" made me think of the Andrea Gail.

Overall, it's a very good collection. There are a few editorial issues here and there, but otherwise quite delightful.

[Maggie Chatterton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry by Janice T. is a collection of poems:
Train of Thought
1739
Elm Street
Johnny's Tavern
Twist
Down The Narrow Ghetto Streets
The Vigil
Emery
Fox
Shanty Town
My Heart Upon a Loom
Skyline
Drowned Ship of Prey
The Train
Such In The Nature Of Love
Neptune's Gift
Mr. Bleak's Tomatoes
Heartscapes
When None Command
Epitaph
How Deep Are The Oceans
This collection of poems as listed above, are pretty interesting. Poetry collections are a bit hard to review compared to novels. Each poem had it's own collected thought with it's own little story.

In Elm's Street there was a line Which so perfumed he air. I think the writer might have meant to put the instead of he.

I think, of all the poems, How Deep Are The Oceans is my most favorite.

How deep are the oceans of this maiden's heart?
How many treasured secrets can it hold
Or sorrows bear and there to burst apart
Upon the jagged stones of thwarted goals?

Though all events in life may prove to be
A means of taking surroundings, this I know
There is a greater reason to proceed:
In each adventure my heart tells me so.
And note for other readers of the book, the blog url does have a typo in it. For more of her works, please go to http://janice-t.weebly.com/

[Emily Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janice T is an amazing modern poet who breaths new life into the classic style. While all of these poems are new a fresh, when I read her work I hear echoes of the great English romantic era poets. Each poem -- from the inspiring pace of Train of Thought to the clever satire of Emery -- is like taking a vacation from the hectic and hyper-trendy world we live in, to bask in an oasis of clarity and thoughtful repose.

If you're as tired of shallow and pretentious prose as I am, then take a taste of these good old-fashioned, solid poems. This lovely little volume will add a touch of class to any library.

[Elizabeth Watasin · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry' by Janice T. is a lovely walk in the vintage style of rhyming verse. There are captured moments and reflections, as well as epic storytelling, notably a long poem on the journey of a fox, and several dramatic (and often tragic) visions of the sea. As poems do, there are lines which sparkle and have a deft turn of phrase, which may inspire the reader to nod with satisfaction.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, lyrical poetry in a Coleridge-like style, filled with the trains and tearooms of London long ago. Poems range with an epic about a fox's adventures to short peaces mourning shipwrecks. Several pieces mourn the end of the nature and old fashioned pace of a world long past. While only a few pieces feature trains, clockwork, and other specifically Steampunk articles, fans of the genre will find this fits their sensibilities perfectly.

[Matthew George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few typos here and there in this version but some pleasant poetry nonetheless.

[Phillip · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely find collections of poetry I actually find painful. But Echoes hurt to read. A major part of the problem is simply that the poems don't have a Victorian sound, they have a (not very well written) modern sound with vaguely Victorian content. There are few of the longish iambic pentameter lines that were the staple of Victorian poetry, and few of the poetic styles they favored (actual forms like the dramatic monologue, sonnet, sestina, etc. are sparse here, though most do have some sort of rhyme scheme).

This is probably a minor point, but it contributes to my own suffering while reading this, but Janice T uses the contraction 'Ore, which should properly be O'er. For instance in "Epitaph" the second line reads "'Ore a dead man's tomb of earth." What she means is presumably a poetic contraction of the word over, which would be be properly contracted o'er. Alternatively, though less likely, she might mean before, which would be properly contracted 'fore. Though a Victorian poet would only use one of these contractions the preserve the meter of a line, which isn't the case in this poem where it serves as an arbitrary marker of "Victorian" style (though in a Derridean way the marker of "Victorian" style actually reveals the distance between these poems and actual Victorian poetics).

Despite all the problems with this collection, I am still going to have my students read excerpts this semester in my Steampunk themed Scifi and Fantasy class, mostly because there are few steampunk poets so I'm working with what's available.

[Philip Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry by Janice T. Her mastery of words, rhythm and rhyme make her poems a pleasure to read. While reading them, I was reminded of the poetry of Robert Frost, Emily Bronte, Longfellow, Tennyson and Christina Rossetti. Like the tall black street gas lamps on the cover of the book, they did lead me back to Victorian times, and yet they were fresh, rooted as they are in the twenty first century. Janice T. has a great command of words and her verses show no signs of forced rhyme. I think, maybe, that it is forced rhyme which puts some people off rhymed verse. Her rhymes happen so naturally they do not jar rather they seem only right.
My Heart Upon A Loom is one of the poems I particularly liked, for its title alone. It reminded me of the poetry of Christina Rossetti, as did How Deep Are The Oceans and Heartscapes. I liked the variety of themes in the book. The poems led me into taverns, on trains, on board ships at sea, orchards and fields of tomatoes. Mr Bleak's Tomatoes was an unusual poem that stood out for me, as did The Train and Neptune's Gift.
Anyone who enjoys reading well written, thoughtful poetry should enjoy reading this book.

[Initially NO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light entertainment style. Interesting and quaint.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book of poetry to delight your senses. There is a nice sense of flow, place and time. It was an enjoyable time to read, and I would recomend it hightly.