Poetry: An Introduction

by Michael Meyer

Adapted from Michael Meyer's best-selling Bedford Introduction to Literature, this anthology responds to the needs of all kinds of poetry courses. Instructors across the country report that especially at schools where there is a decreased emphasis on literature and the humanities, students do not necessarily see literature as relevant to their lives. They are sometimes totally new to poetry and are often intimidated by it; they sometimes have difficulty approaching and reading a poem and lack confidence in their critical and interpretive abilities. With these factors and students in mind, Meyer has put together an enticing collection of poems from many time periods, cultures, and themes, with voices ranging from the traditional to the hottest contemporary poets, always mixing in plenty of quirky and humorous selections that students will enjoy. Editorial features such as the author's new sample close readings and thematic case studies offer students real help with reading, appreciating, and writing about literature. Poetry is a book designed to make students life-long readers of poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Textbooks, Literature, Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, School

759 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Meyer has taught writing and literature courses for more than thirty years—since 1981 at the University of Connecticut and before that at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the College of William and Mary. In addition to being an experienced teacher, Meyer is a highly regarded literary scholar. His scholarly articles have appeared in distinguished journals such as American Literature, Studies in the American Renaissance, and Virginia Quarterly Review. An internationally recognized authority on Henry David Thoreau, Meyer is a former president of the Thoreau Society and coauthor (with Walter Harding) of The New Thoreau Handbook, a standard reference source. The American Studies Association awarded his first book, Several More Lives to Live: Thoreau’s Political Reputation in America, the Ralph Henry Gabriel Prize. . He is also the editor of Frederick Douglass: The Narrative and Selected Writings. He has lectured on a variety of American literary topics from Cambridge University to Peking University. His books for Bedford/St. Martin's include The Bedford Introduction to Literature; The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature; Literature to Go; Poetry: An Introduction; and Thinking and Writing about Literature.

Reviews

[Dholsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic anthology, but worth reading. Selections include analysis, comprehension questions, sample letters and alignment with targeted teaching concepts (tone, Langston Hughes: Culture and Work, etc.). A great additional to one's personal library for enhancing knowledge and as a guide for practicing the craft of writing poetry.

[Grace Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a large collection of poetry ranging from all genres, topics of interest and time periods. Sections of the book are divided up by analysis, themes, author and subject matter deep dives. This book provides a very thorough understanding of all things poetry, it will help you write better poetry and understand poetry on a deeper level. After each poem there is an analysis of the poem, and questions to ask yourself, or the author. These questions and pieces of analysis really help develop strong close reading skills. And while not all of these poems were for me, and I still am reading them because this book is very long and there are thousands, but there have been a couple that I quite enjoyed. One that stuck out to me was entitled On the Edge of Adolescence, My Middle Daughter Learns to Play the Saxophone by Barbara Crooker in 1945. A portion of this poem that resinated with me was "Soon she'll master these keys, turn notes into liquid gold, wail that reedy brass. Soon, she'll be a woman. She's gonna learn to play the blues." This poem in particular uses the metaphor quite masterfully when comparing her daughter's women-hood to her struggles with learning saxophone. This poem is written beautifully, in a very thought provoking way, and it's poems like this one that make the book worth reading. It will get you more interested in poetry as an art form, and it will help you find little gems of writing that will stick with you for a long time.

[Josh Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology was read for a poetry class, and I have to say I loved it! It spans across so many different cultures and time periods and acts as a nice introduction to poetry. This is my second year actually studying poetry, so I've really come to appreciate it. This particular collection comes with annotations and gives some good background information on figures of speech, styles of poetry, rhyme, meter, historical/biographical information, and tips for reading and analyzing poetry! It's a great book for beginners, and it has definitely prepared me for my upcoming exam!

[Sheikhah]

I used this book for my Poetry course last semester. It was useful. It has a large collection of well-known poems. What I did not like is the way it is divided. It would have been better to be chronologically sectioned so that it is easier for students to follow specially that the book itself is "an introduction" to poetry. The order of topics Meyer uses here is according to what he thinks is important. I had to rearrange the topics on my own slides to accommodate my students' level.
All in all, a good read.

[Sunniva · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really was an introduction. The book offers a very thorough explanation of the most basics of poetry, everything from different form to the key terms in which to discuss metaphors. Are you starting out 100% blank on poetry, this is a great book. If you already know a thing or two, I would look elsewhere. The book also contains a number of poems from all the famous poets, as well as less famous ones.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great combination of instruction and pure enjoyment. (This is a text book but I read it for pleasure.) I learned a lot about contemporary poets and poetry, and I learned some of the elements poets use to create an artistic effect. I wish I had had a college class with this text book. There's something in here for every poetic taste.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent textbook for intro poetry classes.