Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms

by William Baer

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Description

This is a guide to writing metrical poetry, formal verse, sonnets, ballads, blank verse, and other forms. It adopts a systematic, building-block approach and is illustrated with the work of modern poets such as Seamus Heaney, Dana Gioia, W.S. Merwin, Richard Wilbur and others.

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2 reviews
I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in writing poetry, and to many who just want to read and appreciate poetry. The book perfectly reflects Alexander Pope's aphorism that "the ease of writing comes from art, not chance" - as, indeed, the author notes along the way. Though many of its lessons may seem self-evident, that very clarity is part of the book's strength: a how-to guide on the brushstrokes an artist can use to make a masterwork out of language.
A guide to prosody and to the mechanics of writing poetry. This is as well-written and enjoyable as a creative writing text could be.

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Author Information

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26 Works 208 Members
William Baer is a professor of English at the University of Evansville and the editor of The Formalist

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Poetry, Literature Studies and Criticism
DDC/MDS
808.1Literature & rhetoricLiterature, rhetoric & criticismCompositionRhetoric of poetry
LCC
PE1505 .B16Language and LiteratureEnglish languageEnglishModern English

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Reviews
2
Rating
(3.90)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
2
UPCs
1