Poem: Lyric, Sign, Metre

The Poem is an ambitious contemporary ars poetica that explores the writing, transmission, and reading of poetry with wit and scholarly flair. It takes the form of three long essays: Lyric, Sign, and Metre, which address poetry's relationship to music, metaphor, and time, and propose radical correctives to existing metrical theory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 752 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2021
Publisher: Faber & Faber

The Poem is a comprehensive and ambitious contemporary ars poetica that delves into various aspects of poetry, including its definition, linguistic uniqueness, cultural significance, and mechanisms of composition. Written in the form of three long essays, the book explores the writing, transmission, and reading of poetry with wit and scholarly flair, drawing upon literary analysis, linguistics, metaphysics, psychology, and cognitive science to provide a thorough exploration of how and why poems are composed.

The first essay, "Lyric," focuses on the music and sound patterns of poetry, examining how they contribute to the deepening of poetic sense. The author discusses the role of rhythm, melody, and rhyme in creating aural landscapes and how they evoke emotions and convey meaning. The essay also explores the techniques poets use to manipulate sound, such as assonance, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, to create unique and powerful poetic effects.

The second essay, "Sign," develops a new theory of metaphor, metonym, and symbol, exploring how ideas of meaning change under poetic conditions. The author examines the ways in which poetry employs these linguistic devices to create new meanings and to convey complex ideas in a concise and evocative manner. The essay also discusses the role of metaphor in shaping our understanding of the world and how poetry can challenge our preconceptions and expand our horizons.

The third essay, "Metre," addresses poetry's relationship to time and to the rhythms of speech. The author builds a theory of prosody from the ground up, proposing some radical correctives to existing metrical theory along the way. The essay explores the ways in which poetry uses rhythm and metre to create a sense of tempo, pace, and movement, and how these elements contribute to the overall aesthetic and emotional impact of a poem.

Throughout the book, the author employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing upon the insights of various fields to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of poetry. His various professional guises as a major prize-winning poet, Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews, and Poetry Editor at Picador Macmillan grant him an insider's perspective, allowing him to offer insights and perspectives that are both insightful and engaging.

For those who are intrigued by the inner workings of the art form and its fundamental secrets, The Poem will challenge, intrigue, and surprise. It provides a wealth of information and ideas that will deepen our appreciation of poetry and its role in shaping our cultural and intellectual landscape. Whether you are a poet, a literary scholar, or simply a lover of poetry, this book is a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand the power and beauty of this art form.

Weight: 978g
Dimension: 154 x 235 x 48 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571356652
Edition number: Main