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The criticism of poetry
This book sets out to teach the methods of criticism by a close examination of literary form and a thorough investigation of the steps through which a critique is evolved. S.H. Burton is head of the English Dept. at Blundell's School.
182 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 29, 2018
The title tells you what to expect. It's not all poetry, enjoyable as the excerpts are they account for perhaps 40% or perhaps less of the book total. Luckily I have not made a proper study nor been examined. I wonder how many people have? The author, Mr. Burton, does mention the didactic school of thought, but I believe he missed 2 key points. That poems, to sound proper, encourage a certain accent, also, they encourage a certain speed of speech. Sum total of the book, you need not be a poet to appreciate or criticise poetry anymore than one needs be a carpenter to know a good or bad table.
Becoming a better guide than my first expectations. Breaching into the chapters on style, an abundance of poetic terminology mars the clarity of the first two chapters. Learning about different phonetic structures shows me that poetry was & can be more than an indulgence for the mind. The author assigns readings with specific interpretations, which is made difficult by poetry being an art-form hence diverse interpretation, in turn made difficult by the author's select excerpts. Demonstrating theme would be simpler if simpler themes were pursued in the earlier exercises.
Reading to give me some sense of poetry, this book and 4 others; The Criticism of Poetry, The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El Yezdi, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, The Wreck of the Hesperus & The Works of 'Banjo' Paterson.
Becoming a better guide than my first expectations. Breaching into the chapters on style, an abundance of poetic terminology mars the clarity of the first two chapters. Learning about different phonetic structures shows me that poetry was & can be more than an indulgence for the mind. The author assigns readings with specific interpretations, which is made difficult by poetry being an art-form hence diverse interpretation, in turn made difficult by the author's select excerpts. Demonstrating theme would be simpler if simpler themes were pursued in the earlier exercises.
Reading to give me some sense of poetry, this book and 4 others; The Criticism of Poetry, The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El Yezdi, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, The Wreck of the Hesperus & The Works of 'Banjo' Paterson.
May 17, 2018
A very helpful and simplified book for beginners.
October 21, 2022
The book is nicely written and underscores the importance of close reading but adopts a few faulty views of poetry criticism. He,misleadingly, emphasises the importance of the poet's intetion; and the statements he starts his analysis with are indirect paraphrase of the poems. Above all, he doesn't elucidate many technical terms, especially in the first two chapters, and only proposes different poems for the readers to find out on their own the difference between such terms.
The book is enjoyable but should be read with caution.
The book is enjoyable but should be read with caution.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews