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52 Ways of Looking at a Poem
British poetry is in a wonderful state at present. Never have so many poets been saying so many interesting things in such lively, up-to-date ways. Yet many people feel shut out or know little about poetry and have no idea where to begin. In this groundbreaking book, Ruth Padel takes fifty-two of the poems she discussed in her newspaper column - a year's worth - and suggests ways of reading them.
The poems are by a wide range of living poets, on experiences we all share - love, sex, death, nature, history, war - which show how reading a poem can enhance everyone's life as powerfully and as pleasurably as reading novels or watching a film.
The poems are by a wide range of living poets, on experiences we all share - love, sex, death, nature, history, war - which show how reading a poem can enhance everyone's life as powerfully and as pleasurably as reading novels or watching a film.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2002
58 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Padel
55 books44 followersRuth is an English poet and writer. She has published poetry collections, novels, and books of non-fiction, including several on reading poetry. She has presented Radio 4′s Poetry Workshop, visiting poetry groups across the UK to discuss their poems.
Her awards include First Prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, a Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors, an Arts Council of England Writers’ Award and a British Council Darwin Now Research Award for her novel Where the Serpent Lives.
Ruth lives in London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Member of the Bombay Natural History Society, an Ambassador for New Networks for Nature, a Patron of 21st-Century Tiger and a Council Member of the Zoological Society of London.
Her awards include First Prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, a Cholmondeley Award from The Society of Authors, an Arts Council of England Writers’ Award and a British Council Darwin Now Research Award for her novel Where the Serpent Lives.
Ruth lives in London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Member of the Bombay Natural History Society, an Ambassador for New Networks for Nature, a Patron of 21st-Century Tiger and a Council Member of the Zoological Society of London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 20, 2015
I love geeking out about poetry, but I just couldn't stand how much she relied on sound patterns to interpret the poems. On some poems, I thought her interpretation of sound patterns really added to my understanding of the poem, but on others, I felt it was a clumsy distraction from the poem itself. Looking at sound patterns is ONE way to get meaning from a poem, but it is not always the best way. I found it a little tedious after awhile.
Take that, Ruth Padel. Even though you're much smarter than I am. And better read.
Take that, Ruth Padel. Even though you're much smarter than I am. And better read.
November 28, 2023
'(...) the point was not convincing anyone that my way of reading a poem was right, but giving people tools to help them to read the poem for themselves.'
I want to salute Ruth Padel's enterprise here for two reasons. First, because she offers a great snapshot of what the contemporary poetical landscape is, served by an introduction, incisive, succinct and brilliant, which is so far the best history I have ever read on British poetry today. Then, because she manages to teach poetical jargon illustrated in context without any fuss nor pretence, being always relevant and not needlessly pedantic.
Now, true, as everything dealing with critical analysis it can easily turn into intellectual babbling and, wordy, hers reads indeed at times like boring school homework. One doesn't have to agree with her comments, thought; as she herself rightly acknowledges. True, also, as with every compilation the poems being chosen can be highly subjective, and so confer a sense of unbalance to the whole. Sadly, this is where, personally, I have lost interest.
The thing is, I dislike most of established contemporary poetry with a passion. I find it needlessly pretentious, self-absorbed, as creative and moving as phonebooks put in stanzas and, yes, elitist. Hence, as she focuses on contemporary poetry, obviously most of the poems chosen are, well, as far as I am concerned... ! But it's a matter of personal taste and, considering mine, me not being able/willing to engage with most of them was frankly expected.
Should I dismiss this book then? Certainly not. It remains a great way to not only discover what most poetry is at these days but, also, a nice tool to help on how to read it, so... At least hat off for such a feat!
I want to salute Ruth Padel's enterprise here for two reasons. First, because she offers a great snapshot of what the contemporary poetical landscape is, served by an introduction, incisive, succinct and brilliant, which is so far the best history I have ever read on British poetry today. Then, because she manages to teach poetical jargon illustrated in context without any fuss nor pretence, being always relevant and not needlessly pedantic.
Now, true, as everything dealing with critical analysis it can easily turn into intellectual babbling and, wordy, hers reads indeed at times like boring school homework. One doesn't have to agree with her comments, thought; as she herself rightly acknowledges. True, also, as with every compilation the poems being chosen can be highly subjective, and so confer a sense of unbalance to the whole. Sadly, this is where, personally, I have lost interest.
The thing is, I dislike most of established contemporary poetry with a passion. I find it needlessly pretentious, self-absorbed, as creative and moving as phonebooks put in stanzas and, yes, elitist. Hence, as she focuses on contemporary poetry, obviously most of the poems chosen are, well, as far as I am concerned... ! But it's a matter of personal taste and, considering mine, me not being able/willing to engage with most of them was frankly expected.
Should I dismiss this book then? Certainly not. It remains a great way to not only discover what most poetry is at these days but, also, a nice tool to help on how to read it, so... At least hat off for such a feat!
February 26, 2013
This is based on a year's worth of Ruth Padel's column in the Independent on Sunday in which she took a poem a week by contemporary poets. There is such much to like about this book and it is one I go back to time and again. It is a wonderful introduction to modern poetry and each poem is accompanied by an essay analysing the poem. As she explains in the introduction 'you can respond to a poem emotionally and imaginatively without being away of the technical ways it gets its effects.... but... you will get more from a poem if you see how it works technically. As well as including some of my favourite poems of recent years, Prayer by Carol Ann Duffy, AS if I were winter itself By Pacale Petit and In my Country by Jackie Kay it has introduced me to poems like Sarah Maguire's Split Milk.
December 28, 2024
A mixed bag. Though initially I found the insights into the poems discussed to be very interesting - breakdown of the technical aspects of writing poetry, context provided, literary criticism and moments when (as with some of the musical theory videos I have seen online) it all clicked and I felt I was now understanding the genre - this feeling lessened.
I know this is partially because of the way in which I read the book. Knowing it probably wouldn't be sensible to attempt to read from cover-to-cover in a few days, I tried to eke it out a little. However, I didn't find the self-discipline to read one chapter a week as might be intended, and didn't find an alternative to this, so in the end was reading one or two chapters at a time, with gaps of a day or two, or a few weeks at times, between them.
Additionally however, the thrill of being provided with insight into poetry waned pretty quickly. Perhaps the first quarter outlined so many tools in the poet's kit that the remainder of the book felt a little like redefining incrementally different alternatives (here's a fretsaw, here's a coping saw, here's a hacksaw, he's a piercing saw...) and also my appreciation for the value of poetry lessened as a consequence perhaps - endlessly tweaking a short piece of writing to make it 'perfect' begins to feel of limited use.
Nevertheless, as a punt from a charity shop it was surprisingly interesting for a while, and I probably will dip into it again at some point.
I know this is partially because of the way in which I read the book. Knowing it probably wouldn't be sensible to attempt to read from cover-to-cover in a few days, I tried to eke it out a little. However, I didn't find the self-discipline to read one chapter a week as might be intended, and didn't find an alternative to this, so in the end was reading one or two chapters at a time, with gaps of a day or two, or a few weeks at times, between them.
Additionally however, the thrill of being provided with insight into poetry waned pretty quickly. Perhaps the first quarter outlined so many tools in the poet's kit that the remainder of the book felt a little like redefining incrementally different alternatives (here's a fretsaw, here's a coping saw, here's a hacksaw, he's a piercing saw...) and also my appreciation for the value of poetry lessened as a consequence perhaps - endlessly tweaking a short piece of writing to make it 'perfect' begins to feel of limited use.
Nevertheless, as a punt from a charity shop it was surprisingly interesting for a while, and I probably will dip into it again at some point.
November 25, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3121979.html
I am not especially well-read in poetry, so I learned a lot from this. It's a revision of Padel's weekly columns from the Independent on Sunday of almost twenty years ago, explaining what is going on in each poem, not at too great length but enough to make the reader feel (or at least this reader feel) that a better understanding of how poems work is possible.
From the structural point of view, I was struck by the fact that quite a lot of the poems Padel looks at are sonnets, or at least have fourteen lines with roughly five beats to each. She's also very good at looking at the way in which poets use sound as a way of conveying meaning, whether it be vowels or consonants, going beyond the basics of rhyme and alliteration that we were taught at school.
From the political point of view, she makes the strong assertion that poetry in Britain and Ireland has been urgently informed by the Troubles; Heaney, Muldoon, Mahon, Longley, McGuckian (the last two being those who I personally knew back in the days when I was a Fellow at the Institute of Irish Studies in Belfast). She cunningly front-loads the book with Northern Irish poets, so that we read the rest of the poems having started with an Ulster emphasis. I must say I hadn't dared think of my own corner of the woods having an outsize influence in any literary area; but I was ready to be convinced by her arguments.
Not every poem of Padel's selection worked for me, but enough of them did to rekindle my enthusiasm for the genre, which probably means it had the desired effect.
I am not especially well-read in poetry, so I learned a lot from this. It's a revision of Padel's weekly columns from the Independent on Sunday of almost twenty years ago, explaining what is going on in each poem, not at too great length but enough to make the reader feel (or at least this reader feel) that a better understanding of how poems work is possible.
From the structural point of view, I was struck by the fact that quite a lot of the poems Padel looks at are sonnets, or at least have fourteen lines with roughly five beats to each. She's also very good at looking at the way in which poets use sound as a way of conveying meaning, whether it be vowels or consonants, going beyond the basics of rhyme and alliteration that we were taught at school.
From the political point of view, she makes the strong assertion that poetry in Britain and Ireland has been urgently informed by the Troubles; Heaney, Muldoon, Mahon, Longley, McGuckian (the last two being those who I personally knew back in the days when I was a Fellow at the Institute of Irish Studies in Belfast). She cunningly front-loads the book with Northern Irish poets, so that we read the rest of the poems having started with an Ulster emphasis. I must say I hadn't dared think of my own corner of the woods having an outsize influence in any literary area; but I was ready to be convinced by her arguments.
Not every poem of Padel's selection worked for me, but enough of them did to rekindle my enthusiasm for the genre, which probably means it had the desired effect.
January 13, 2013
If you think poetry is highbrow or elitist then please read this book. Ruth Padel, herself a respected poet and author, takes you through 52 poems, examining their meaning, structure and context. It's a revelation, both fpr writers and novices. Please read a copy.
August 31, 2017
This book gave me one of my first insights into the complexities of poems but in a way that I could understand them. I learned all about sound and rhyme and how to use it well. Each poem in the book is very different and it is great to dip in and out of it again and again.
September 1, 2020
Interesting, and it did teach me some things about ways of looking at poetry, but it also taught me that there are some poems (or maybe styles of poems) I really don't like.
December 28, 2021
I’m not a great lover of ‘modern’ poetry, so this was a good introduction to many poems I would otherwise not read. Some poems surprised my and I loved, some I disliked, and many I felt indifferent about. But Ruth Padel’s text helped explain and added to my appreciation of the poems.
However, I felt the title of the book, ‘52 ways of looking at a poem’ misleading. It should be ‘Looking at 52 poems’, as all the poems were analyzed in a similar fashion.
I read the book over a year, reading a poem a week as suggested. I think it would have been quite tedious to read the book any other way.
I found Padel’s Introduction and opening essay to the book very interesting, and the Glossary of Poetic Terms at the back of the book is a great resource.
However, I felt the title of the book, ‘52 ways of looking at a poem’ misleading. It should be ‘Looking at 52 poems’, as all the poems were analyzed in a similar fashion.
I read the book over a year, reading a poem a week as suggested. I think it would have been quite tedious to read the book any other way.
I found Padel’s Introduction and opening essay to the book very interesting, and the Glossary of Poetic Terms at the back of the book is a great resource.
June 19, 2023
This was a really fun project. I learned a great deal about the styles and techniques of modern poetry and the poetry covered a good mix of topics. I was able to use her accompanying essays to greatly appreciate some poems which I feel I would have otherwise gained little from. I wish more poetry books were written in the form of poem + accompanying explanatory essay; I shall have to find more in this format.
Personal favourite poems from the collection are as follows:
No.2: Courtyards in Delft(Derek Mahon): The essay by Padel contributed a lot to my enjoyment of this poem and it made me want to learn more about The Troubles. There is something nice about being able to read a poem while looking at the painting the author was inspired by.
No.6: Ceasefire(Michael Longley): This was probably my favourite out of the collection. The message contained within seems so powerful; I can see why it was reprinted in the Irish Times at the announcement of the 1994 Irish Ceasefire. It beautifully summarises a story of grief, sacrifice and forgiveness.
No.11: The World’s Entire Wasp Population(Selima Hill): The drastic change of tone in the middle of this very short poem is masterfully executed. I love the sense of spite present throughout. It’s incredibly memorable and I have often referred back to it.
Personal favourite poems from the collection are as follows:
No.2: Courtyards in Delft(Derek Mahon): The essay by Padel contributed a lot to my enjoyment of this poem and it made me want to learn more about The Troubles. There is something nice about being able to read a poem while looking at the painting the author was inspired by.
No.6: Ceasefire(Michael Longley): This was probably my favourite out of the collection. The message contained within seems so powerful; I can see why it was reprinted in the Irish Times at the announcement of the 1994 Irish Ceasefire. It beautifully summarises a story of grief, sacrifice and forgiveness.
No.11: The World’s Entire Wasp Population(Selima Hill): The drastic change of tone in the middle of this very short poem is masterfully executed. I love the sense of spite present throughout. It’s incredibly memorable and I have often referred back to it.
August 23, 2020
This collection of poems chosen and interpreted by Ruth Padel is a joy to read for someone like me, who wanted to reengage with poetry but lacked confidence in knowing who and how to read.
Her introduction provides very personal and informed support to those who perceive poetry to be "difficult", answering common questions like "should poetry rhyme?"
All the poems are contemporary and, although all are written in English, she makes it clear that British poetry is international.
This is so much more than an anthology. For each poem, Padel provides a brief introduction to the poet followed by her reading of the poem. There is a glossary of useful technical terms but I must emphasise that this book cannot be compared with bad experiences of analysing poetry at school.
I will revisit these poems again and again, and I now have a reading list of poets to work through.
Her introduction provides very personal and informed support to those who perceive poetry to be "difficult", answering common questions like "should poetry rhyme?"
All the poems are contemporary and, although all are written in English, she makes it clear that British poetry is international.
This is so much more than an anthology. For each poem, Padel provides a brief introduction to the poet followed by her reading of the poem. There is a glossary of useful technical terms but I must emphasise that this book cannot be compared with bad experiences of analysing poetry at school.
I will revisit these poems again and again, and I now have a reading list of poets to work through.
September 11, 2022
I better be nice because Ruth Padel is literally my professor of poetry—Some very good poems here and insightful analysis, especially Padel’s eye for sound patterns and her introduction about contemporary poetry (which does, unfortunately, already seem a bit dated as it was written in 2001 but alas). However not all the poems were amazing (of course, it’s subjective) and sometimes I did get tired of her incessant listing of sound patterns—it encouraged me to gloss over her writing/speed-read—perhaps a good thing if this is on one of my reading lists and I have a lot to get through? hahah
Read
June 13, 2024 A great introduction to modern poetry. Number 5 in the list, called 1857 by Maura Dooley is my particular favourite.
The only problem with the book is that the analysis that follows the poem is often hard to put into context and appreciate, as the particular word or phrase is a page turn away, which means that you are either constantly turning back and forth, which makes for a frustrating read, or you miss a lot of what she is referring to. This is a logistical issue and no criticism of Padel's writing and analysis, but a significant one nonetheless.
The only problem with the book is that the analysis that follows the poem is often hard to put into context and appreciate, as the particular word or phrase is a page turn away, which means that you are either constantly turning back and forth, which makes for a frustrating read, or you miss a lot of what she is referring to. This is a logistical issue and no criticism of Padel's writing and analysis, but a significant one nonetheless.
Read
December 10, 2025Poets I want to deep dive in:
1. Jo Shapcott
2. Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
3. Michael Longley
4. Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill
5. Selima Hill
6. Rita Ann Higgins
7. C. K. Williams
8. U. A. Fanthorpe
9. Fleur Adcock
10. Simon Armitage
11. Elaine Feinstein
12. Carol Ann Duffy
13. Seamus Heaney
14. Sarah Maguire
15. Don Paterson
16. Helen Dunmore
17. Patience Agbabi
18. Michael Donaghy
19. Jackie Kay
20. Moniza Alvi
21. Sharon Olds
22. Paul Durcan
23. Anne Carson
24. Pascale Petit
25. Thom Gunn
Thank you for such a diverse, curated poem list with irreproachable insight.
1. Jo Shapcott
2. Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
3. Michael Longley
4. Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill
5. Selima Hill
6. Rita Ann Higgins
7. C. K. Williams
8. U. A. Fanthorpe
9. Fleur Adcock
10. Simon Armitage
11. Elaine Feinstein
12. Carol Ann Duffy
13. Seamus Heaney
14. Sarah Maguire
15. Don Paterson
16. Helen Dunmore
17. Patience Agbabi
18. Michael Donaghy
19. Jackie Kay
20. Moniza Alvi
21. Sharon Olds
22. Paul Durcan
23. Anne Carson
24. Pascale Petit
25. Thom Gunn
Thank you for such a diverse, curated poem list with irreproachable insight.
November 17, 2019
This is honestly one my favourite books. It's a bit like sitting in English Lit class when you were at school, except that the teacher gives you all the answers! The poems are really short, and the notes are also just short enough to keep your attention, but just long enough to make you feel like you've really got to grips with the poem and taken it through the wringer. I can't tell you how many people i've gifted this book to. Love love love.
June 4, 2017
My thoughts went immediately to:
Motoring news a cartoon by Michael Leunig
Tried to share the image/link but perhaps it isn't possible to share an image here?
Anyway, look it up, its lovely (as is much of Leunig's work).
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/...
Motoring news a cartoon by Michael Leunig
Tried to share the image/link but perhaps it isn't possible to share an image here?
Anyway, look it up, its lovely (as is much of Leunig's work).
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/...
January 22, 2019
Sadly I read this book too late. If I'd have read this when I first discovered modern poetry it would have been a great introduction - and the introductory essays are very good - but having now read a few modern poetry anthologies, I sadly found this book increasingly boring and didn't finish it.
May 22, 2019
Interesting selection of poems.
May 6, 2024
I like the idea of the book but not the book itself so much. I'm a simple uncluttered soul and prefer poetry that doesn't need three pages of text to tell me what it's really (or might be) about.
December 18, 2024
I mean, if I'm honest I liked about 24 of these poems. In her notes after each, Padell is good on the mechanics of poetry (all those enjambements and dactyls) but I'd have liked more...joy!
November 3, 2014
This is an admirable if somewhat arbitrary project--giving a reading of a poem for every week of the year--but the poems are of uneven quality and the readings (originally from The Independent) are rather short and oriented towards an audience of general readers (not poets or scholars). The poems discussed are all contemporary--that is, roughly, late 1990s, early 2000s. Padel wrote the very interesting of poems, Darwin, so I was perhaps expecting a little too much from this collection of newspaper essays. It's best, I think, for the audience for the audience to whom it was originally directed.
December 24, 2023
This book looks at 52 poems the same way, so the title is misleading. But the book is a series of analyses of poems. The language is very dry and formal. The author demonstrates breaking down poems by listening to the sounds, the syllables in the words, looking at the word choice…
I came out of this empty-handed, strangely. It didn’t feel like the author was teaching readers how to extract “meaning” from poems but rather she showed that *she* did it, with no explanation or insight as to how… This is one of the very few books there are on the “behind-the-scenes”/workings of poetry so it is disappointing that the potential went unused.
I came out of this empty-handed, strangely. It didn’t feel like the author was teaching readers how to extract “meaning” from poems but rather she showed that *she* did it, with no explanation or insight as to how… This is one of the very few books there are on the “behind-the-scenes”/workings of poetry so it is disappointing that the potential went unused.
November 1, 2015
If poetry means anything to you, this is the book for you. This is what you should send your highschool teacher, who is (probably in vain) trying to get you excited about poetry. FANTASTIC, insightful, and fun. This book can make you fall in love with poetry, even if you never cared about it before. Unreservedly recommended.
June 9, 2016
Whether you love poetry or are baffled by it, this book is a great way of engaging with poems and poets. Padel takes 52 poems (you could do one a week for a year) and gives a short enlightening and entertaining commentary on each.
August 27, 2020
Too much like English Lit A level homework.
And I didn't think she looked at the poems in 52 different ways - she looked at most of them in the same way, talking about repeated vowel or consonant sounds.
I'd rather just read the poems, so this isn't for me. I did like some of the poems!
And I didn't think she looked at the poems in 52 different ways - she looked at most of them in the same way, talking about repeated vowel or consonant sounds.
I'd rather just read the poems, so this isn't for me. I did like some of the poems!
March 15, 2011
The most interesting explanation of modern poetry I have read.
April 1, 2014
Great list of modern poetry, alongside an expert opinion that makes the layman understand modern poetry much better.
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August 9, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14120845
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14120845
December 24, 2016
Informative and inspiring book, if a tad misleadingly titled (the 52 ways bit, not the change your life bit).
October 26, 2021
if you are nervous of poetry, this is the perfect guide to help you relax and enjoy and explore. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews