Why Poetry Matters
Published on 1. April 2008
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-300-12423-1 (ISBN)
Description
Poetry doesn't matter to most people, observes Jay Parini at the opening of this book. 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 culture: 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 defences 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 the 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 terms: 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 centre of Western civilization.
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 centre of Western civilization.
Reviews / Votes
"With gentle insistence, Parini's book makes the case that poetry is worth reading-indeed, that it must be read-especially in a dark time like our own."-Christopher Benfey, author of Degas in New Orleans and The Great Wave -- Christopher Benfey "Jay Parini celebrates not simply poetry but glorious life itself. He shows that poetry can quicken the mind, purge damp melancholy from the cold heart, and spread goldenrod across fallen days."-Samuel Pickering, author of Autumn Spring and Letters to a Teacher -- Samuel Pickering "With the light touch and intelligent eye of a great teacher, Jay Parini makes this concise little book a marvel, plumbing the depths of the reasons for poetry and the underpinnings of the art from metaphor to vision, from nature to politics . Beginning with that notorious anti-poet Plato and stopping off for brief conversations with Shelley, Wordsworth, Stevens, Eliot and even Louise Gluck, Parini gives us a generous, knowledgeable tour of why poetry matters to us now. Parini is a scintillating guide to the unfathomable, and he will be welcomed both by poets and by anyone intrigued-or baffled-by poetry. This is the perfect hip-pocket compendium of signposts to Poetryland."-Molly Peacock, poet and creative nonfiction writer, author of Cornucopia: New & Selected Poems. -- Molly Peacock "If you are going to tell Jay Parini that poetry doesn't matter, you should probably start working on your debate points now-he's got a lot more."-Jessie Forand, Burlington Free Press -- Jessie Forand Burlington Free PressMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-300-12423-1 (9780300124231)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Jay Parini
Why Poetry Matters
E-Book
05/2014
1st Edition
Yale University Press
€59.95
Available for download
Person
Jay Parini is an American writer and academic. He is known for novels and poetry, biography and criticism. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1970 and was awarded a doctorate by the University of St. Andrews in 1975. Parini taught at Dartmouth College from 1975 to 1982 and has been on the faculty of Middlebury College since 1982. He is a regular contributor to various journals and newspapers, including The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Guardian. In 1976, he co-founded New England Review with Sydney Lea.