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Why Poetry Matters
A brief, passionate book about the nature of poetry and its use in the world
Poetry doesn’t matter to most people, observes Jay Parini at the opening of this book. But, undeterred, he commences a deeply felt meditation on poetry, its language and meaning, and its power to open minds and transform lives. By the end of the book, Parini has recovered a truth often obscured by our clamorous without poetry, we live only partially, not fully conscious of the possibilities that life affords. Poetry indeed matters. A gifted poet and acclaimed teacher, Parini begins by looking at defenses of poetry written over the centuries. He ponders Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, and moves on through Sidney, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Eliot, Frost, Stevens, and others. Parini examines the importance of poetic voice and the mysteries of metaphor. He argues that a poet’s originality depends on a deep understanding of the traditions of political poetry, nature poetry, and religious poetry. Writing with a casual grace, Parini avoids jargon and makes his case in concise, direct the mind of the poet supplies a light to the minds of others, kindling their imaginations, helping them to live their lives. The author’s love of poetry suffuses this insightful book—a volume for all readers interested in a fresh introduction to the art that lies at the center of Western civilization.
Poetry doesn’t matter to most people, observes Jay Parini at the opening of this book. But, undeterred, he commences a deeply felt meditation on poetry, its language and meaning, and its power to open minds and transform lives. By the end of the book, Parini has recovered a truth often obscured by our clamorous without poetry, we live only partially, not fully conscious of the possibilities that life affords. Poetry indeed matters. A gifted poet and acclaimed teacher, Parini begins by looking at defenses of poetry written over the centuries. He ponders Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, and moves on through Sidney, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Eliot, Frost, Stevens, and others. Parini examines the importance of poetic voice and the mysteries of metaphor. He argues that a poet’s originality depends on a deep understanding of the traditions of political poetry, nature poetry, and religious poetry. Writing with a casual grace, Parini avoids jargon and makes his case in concise, direct the mind of the poet supplies a light to the minds of others, kindling their imaginations, helping them to live their lives. The author’s love of poetry suffuses this insightful book—a volume for all readers interested in a fresh introduction to the art that lies at the center of Western civilization.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
22 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Jay Parini
192 books152 followersJay Parini (born 1948) is an American writer and academic. He is known for novels and poetry, biography and criticism.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 19, 2011
I need to write an essay on ‘leading educational ideas’. The problem is that the best I can come up with at the moment is how various metaphors related to curriculum effect the way kids end up being taught. The thing I like about this as a topic is that it will give me a chance to play with some of the language used in all of the texts I’ve been reading lately on curricula and to perhaps say something about how curricula work (or don’t work).
But before I start (and I’ve a proposal that is due in very soon that I haven’t really started in anything more than mind map form) I thought I would go back and read some works on metaphor. This is a book I’ve been planning on reading for a while and now I have. It was less useful than I had hoped, but okay.
Basically, this guy sees poetry as a number of things, but mostly as a kind of scripture. He sees poetry as coming from a deeply theological urge and maybe even urgency. As someone who can only understand religion, if at all, as a kind of aesthetic sense taken too far – I could almost agree with him on the nature of poetry. However, I think he goes much further on this ‘poetry as scripture’ theme than I feel comfortable with.
He also says that poetry is deeply political too – fundamentally political – as it regards (re-envisions?) society. He does make the interesting point that many poets are quite politically conservative, but all the same often still play the role of truth tellers. As a kind of communication poetry is fundamentally about community – or so he feels. How much poets really do fulfil this role – also in his version of poet as protector of environment – really is open for debate.
There are also philosophical discussions – not least around Wittgenstein’s ‘the limits of my language are the limits of my world’ and Eliot and ‘the logos’. It is here that language and metaphor come to the fore. Essentially, he says that all words start life as metaphor (he gives a few choice examples – like Robert Frost using appall in his very white poem ‘Design’ (a bit of a ripoff of Blake's 'The Tyger' if you ask me). Of course, appall is a metaphor – it once meant ‘to make white’, as in the sense of blood draining from your face. He sees the role of poets as to not only bring back the original metaphoric meaning of words (a kind of linguistic archaeology), but also to test the limits of just how far you can stretch a metaphor. To be honest, he gives poets far too many roles.
The word metaphor is itself a metaphor – it comes from Greek (I was going to say ‘the Greek’ – but like ‘the Lebanon’ I’ve never quite understood why Greek needs to be preceded by a definite article.) and means ‘to transfer’. In Greece trolleys are called metaphors – and this is a handy thing to know, as we use metaphors in much the same way we use trolleys – we use them to carry things that are too heavy for us to carry in any other way.
A lot of this text is a gushing forth on the joys of poetry. As such, some people might find it a bit hard to take. As someone who has on occasion said things equally gushing (sometimes even equally as daft) about poetry, I didn’t mind this at all. But I think I would have said something else about poetry than what is said in this book.
Poetry matters because it is the cordial of language – what is left once most of the water has been boiled away. Because it is so concentrated it can’t be drunk like water, sometimes it can barely even be sipped. However, the nicest line in this book says something like, ‘poetry can not be read, but only re-read’. By repeatedly returning to poems, it is almost as if we are able to dilute the poem finally into something we can drink. Except, of course, we don’t dilute the poem at all in this returning – but rather our tastes become accustomed to the richness (sharp and sweet that are beyond piquant and dulcet) that poetic language offers to us. We partake of poetry – it is like a meal we can return to again and again and each return refreshes us. Or as my mate George Herbert would have it,
“Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me bloud, and not restore
What I have lost with cordiall fruit?”
Or not, of course – sometimes poetry is just a smile – because poetry doesn’t always aspire to be scripture. What it more often aspires to, I think, is those Buddhist ink paintings where in three strokes of a brush you get the essence of bamboo or of a stork or of something else. It is life as cordial, but mostly it is life.
There was a time when I would have liked very much to have been a poet – all the best people do, of course – but I’ve ended up settling for prose. All the same, I do understand what I’ve given up in that settling. Poetry does matter, but then sometimes matter does poetry too.
But before I start (and I’ve a proposal that is due in very soon that I haven’t really started in anything more than mind map form) I thought I would go back and read some works on metaphor. This is a book I’ve been planning on reading for a while and now I have. It was less useful than I had hoped, but okay.
Basically, this guy sees poetry as a number of things, but mostly as a kind of scripture. He sees poetry as coming from a deeply theological urge and maybe even urgency. As someone who can only understand religion, if at all, as a kind of aesthetic sense taken too far – I could almost agree with him on the nature of poetry. However, I think he goes much further on this ‘poetry as scripture’ theme than I feel comfortable with.
He also says that poetry is deeply political too – fundamentally political – as it regards (re-envisions?) society. He does make the interesting point that many poets are quite politically conservative, but all the same often still play the role of truth tellers. As a kind of communication poetry is fundamentally about community – or so he feels. How much poets really do fulfil this role – also in his version of poet as protector of environment – really is open for debate.
There are also philosophical discussions – not least around Wittgenstein’s ‘the limits of my language are the limits of my world’ and Eliot and ‘the logos’. It is here that language and metaphor come to the fore. Essentially, he says that all words start life as metaphor (he gives a few choice examples – like Robert Frost using appall in his very white poem ‘Design’ (a bit of a ripoff of Blake's 'The Tyger' if you ask me). Of course, appall is a metaphor – it once meant ‘to make white’, as in the sense of blood draining from your face. He sees the role of poets as to not only bring back the original metaphoric meaning of words (a kind of linguistic archaeology), but also to test the limits of just how far you can stretch a metaphor. To be honest, he gives poets far too many roles.
The word metaphor is itself a metaphor – it comes from Greek (I was going to say ‘the Greek’ – but like ‘the Lebanon’ I’ve never quite understood why Greek needs to be preceded by a definite article.) and means ‘to transfer’. In Greece trolleys are called metaphors – and this is a handy thing to know, as we use metaphors in much the same way we use trolleys – we use them to carry things that are too heavy for us to carry in any other way.
A lot of this text is a gushing forth on the joys of poetry. As such, some people might find it a bit hard to take. As someone who has on occasion said things equally gushing (sometimes even equally as daft) about poetry, I didn’t mind this at all. But I think I would have said something else about poetry than what is said in this book.
Poetry matters because it is the cordial of language – what is left once most of the water has been boiled away. Because it is so concentrated it can’t be drunk like water, sometimes it can barely even be sipped. However, the nicest line in this book says something like, ‘poetry can not be read, but only re-read’. By repeatedly returning to poems, it is almost as if we are able to dilute the poem finally into something we can drink. Except, of course, we don’t dilute the poem at all in this returning – but rather our tastes become accustomed to the richness (sharp and sweet that are beyond piquant and dulcet) that poetic language offers to us. We partake of poetry – it is like a meal we can return to again and again and each return refreshes us. Or as my mate George Herbert would have it,
“Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me bloud, and not restore
What I have lost with cordiall fruit?”
Or not, of course – sometimes poetry is just a smile – because poetry doesn’t always aspire to be scripture. What it more often aspires to, I think, is those Buddhist ink paintings where in three strokes of a brush you get the essence of bamboo or of a stork or of something else. It is life as cordial, but mostly it is life.
There was a time when I would have liked very much to have been a poet – all the best people do, of course – but I’ve ended up settling for prose. All the same, I do understand what I’ve given up in that settling. Poetry does matter, but then sometimes matter does poetry too.
January 27, 2013
Why Poetry Matters by Jay Parini - Not a bad book with some good thoughts on why poetry is important to us and to language and society. The author is a huge fan of Dickinson and Frost and the last third of the book is a Frost-centric outpouring of admiration akin to a high school crush that I found not that enjoyable. I will admit that if I ever wrote a book on poetry that I would behave the same way when it came time to write about Lord Byron so it is somewhat excusable.
July 25, 2019
To be read slowly and often. I especially appreciated the chapter on T. S. Eliot's "Four Quartets."
July 7, 2017
"Poetry is a conversation, and poets enter into the discussion wherever they are, as they are" (98).
(We need poetry so that we can) "discover the silent space within us" (158).
"Love is the restorative impulse, the antidote to war, to poverty, to hatred, and remorse" (174).
"They (poets) peer into hidden places" and "speak for those who have no voice" (178).
"Poetry matters because it provides this music, which at its best is heard so deeply that it approximates silence" (181).
Great read for a teacher who has a passion for poetry- reading it, writing it, performing it, listening to it, watching it, and appreciating it.
(We need poetry so that we can) "discover the silent space within us" (158).
"Love is the restorative impulse, the antidote to war, to poverty, to hatred, and remorse" (174).
"They (poets) peer into hidden places" and "speak for those who have no voice" (178).
"Poetry matters because it provides this music, which at its best is heard so deeply that it approximates silence" (181).
Great read for a teacher who has a passion for poetry- reading it, writing it, performing it, listening to it, watching it, and appreciating it.
August 9, 2016
Jay Parini, a gifted poet/novelist/biographer/acclaimed teacher, begins by looking at defenses of poetry written over the centuries. He ponders Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, and moves on through Sidney, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Eliot, Frost, Stevens, and others. Parini examines the importance of poetic voice and the mysteries of metaphor. He argues that a poet’s originality depends on a deep understanding of the traditions of political poetry, nature poetry, and religious poetry.
July 20, 2023
I found this title while working at a university bookstore years ago, and finally made the time to read it.
"Why Poetry Matters" explores poetry throughout time and the impact that it has had on civilization. Not only is poetry for enjoyment and beauty, but it has political repercussions and can immortalize important historical events in writing.
As a lover of poetry, I knew I would really enjoy this book. Life is not, nor should not, be all about how to make the most money. We need art and culture to complement our humanity, and poetry is one of the beautiful ways we can do so.
This book is divided into chapters that each highlight an important role poetry has or has had. There are also excerpts of classic poems throughout the book to help highlight the different goals of each chapter. I also appreciated that this book touches upon all types of poetry and how all poetry, no matter how it is constructed has merit.
I highly recommend this to any poetry lover who wants to learn more about the value of poetry.
"Why Poetry Matters" explores poetry throughout time and the impact that it has had on civilization. Not only is poetry for enjoyment and beauty, but it has political repercussions and can immortalize important historical events in writing.
As a lover of poetry, I knew I would really enjoy this book. Life is not, nor should not, be all about how to make the most money. We need art and culture to complement our humanity, and poetry is one of the beautiful ways we can do so.
This book is divided into chapters that each highlight an important role poetry has or has had. There are also excerpts of classic poems throughout the book to help highlight the different goals of each chapter. I also appreciated that this book touches upon all types of poetry and how all poetry, no matter how it is constructed has merit.
I highly recommend this to any poetry lover who wants to learn more about the value of poetry.
September 15, 2020
This is an excellent overview of the nature and meaning of poetry as a vehicle of language communication. Parini approaches this from a number of angles, including the nature of language and metaphor, poetic voice, poetry and politics, and the relation of poets and poetry to the natural world. Each chapter is thoughtful and informative.
One of the interesting aspects of the book is a presentation of poets that engage, sometimes very directly, with their predecessors. The contrast of poetic originality against poetic tradition is new and interesting to consider.
The final chapter focuses on T. S. Eliot's Four Quarterts. Parini is clear throughout the book that this poem is a strong favorite of his. This is a poem that I have read, but always found somewhat off-putting. The analysis provided is definitely helpful, but only a future re-read of the poem will tell for sure.
One of the interesting aspects of the book is a presentation of poets that engage, sometimes very directly, with their predecessors. The contrast of poetic originality against poetic tradition is new and interesting to consider.
The final chapter focuses on T. S. Eliot's Four Quarterts. Parini is clear throughout the book that this poem is a strong favorite of his. This is a poem that I have read, but always found somewhat off-putting. The analysis provided is definitely helpful, but only a future re-read of the poem will tell for sure.
January 20, 2025
Dense subject matter, but helpful for teachers and serious students of poetry. Insightful, opens a field of deep understanding about what poetry is and what it can do within language. I would have liked the author to investigate his claims about poetry with a deeper lens and linger in each idea. The author focuses on postmodern poets and poets of romanticism and draws heavily on essays written by a great many poets past and present.
May 3, 2020
The title explains the book well. Why does poetry matter? Here's one reason—"The chatter of daily life distracts us from distraction but never satisfies or saves us. Only the right words in time can do that." (p. 172)
June 5, 2020
This book is insightful and useful. It is also a little dry, bordering on dull.
October 1, 2013
I am trying to expand my writing and understand poetry. I picked up this book as a primer to explain to me different approaches to poetry. I would say I loved the politics chapter the best and a few others. At certain points, I had to skip around because it was a little too much but I wanted to capture the gist of it and I was able to do that.The nature chapter I did not like so much but it had some good points, also the spiritual section at the end did not interest me too much. I liked that the author kept mentioning classic writers, as I am not too knowledgeable about all the writers he mentioned and now will research them. I think its a great book for a teacher to use or even someone like myself who is trying to learn more about poetry and it's mechanics and the different reasons you could write about that affects society every day. I will be rereading certain parts of this book to understand its concepts more. Great read for the inquiring writer.
January 16, 2009
Some chapters are better than others, politics and poetry and the one on metaphor, particularly. While the book seems to visit the same poets for examples (Eliot, Frost, Stevens, Eliot, Frost, Stevens etc.) they are good examples. This is one of those books cover a lot of ground in not too many pages. A good one to teach I think.
August 29, 2010
This conversational yet learned book affirms the many values of reading poetry which accrue to both individuals and society. I could quibble with some of the statements, but overall, I'm in the same camp. I first read the book many months ago; this encounter is my second.
November 27, 2008
I suppose I should already know why poetry matters, but these days I really kinda don't. At any rate, I'm always a sucker for this discussion.
Want to read
June 8, 2008I think the NYT review says it all....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/opi...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/opi...
Read
July 31, 2010Why do I need someone I've never met to tell me why poetry matters?
I don't.
I don't.
July 28, 2009
With quiet elegance, Parini convinces us that poetry offers a crucial window into the celebration and understanding of life.
February 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this up to Chapters 8 and 9. I'm just not the spiritual type. Will add more of a review later.
October 1, 2013
It's a good read, but a cursory one. Parini can get carried away with his scriptural view of what poetry is. I think he is right, but the mush is too much for some.
September 22, 2017
How can it not matter?!
April 2, 2016
This book is easy to read, well laid out, and will make you want to read and/or write poetry. I highly recommend to anyone interested in poetry or taking a poetry class.
October 20, 2009
OK. Good section on T S Eliots Quartets in the last chapter..
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews