My online dictionary defines poetry as follows:
poetry |ˈpōətrē; ˈpōitrē|nounliterary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature : he is chiefly famous for his love poetry.• a quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems : poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music.• something regarded as comparable to poetry in its beauty : the music department is housed in a building that is pure poetry.ORIGIN late Middle English : from medieval Latin poetria, from Latinpoeta ‘poet.’ In early use the word sometimes referred to creativeliterature in general.In early use the word sometimes referred to creativeliterature in general."###We all know what we think poetry is. Some people call Jack and Jill a poem. Other people gravitate toward Howl.I read one article that stated prose poetry is indeed poetry because it has rhythm, rhyme, assonance, imagery, consonance, and repetition. There are expectations for a prose poem. It's usually presented in block form, and is generally no longer than a page. The main difference between traditional forms and a prose poem, is that the prose poem has to achieve it's purpose without the help of meter's beauty.
All of this blah blah blah is my warm up into the definition of prose poetry. A highly educated and astute friend disagrees with me that it's poetry at all. I, despite my haphazard education, think otherwise. It's a new form and has no tradition to back it up but, as a sort of contradiction, I discovered that prose poetry began in 19th century France. Another source said the Book of Psalms in the King James bible is prose poetry. Mary Oliver seems to be sitting on the fence when she says, "...or perhaps just because it's something other than a poem" but she also says prose poetry must change the reader. The reader must feel a response, just as we expect from poetry in general. Poetic devices are regularly used in fiction, particularly in literary fiction, and serve to enhance the writing for all to enjoy. The Meadow by James Galvin is a good example. We readers are grateful when we come across beautiful writing, no matter what the label is.If you're interested in reading some excellent prose poetry, go to the works of Pablo Neruda, W.S. Merwin, and Walt Whitman. Jim Harrison is a personal favorite.
poetry |ˈpōətrē; ˈpōitrē|nounliterary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature : he is chiefly famous for his love poetry.• a quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems : poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music.• something regarded as comparable to poetry in its beauty : the music department is housed in a building that is pure poetry.ORIGIN late Middle English : from medieval Latin poetria, from Latinpoeta ‘poet.’ In early use the word sometimes referred to creativeliterature in general.In early use the word sometimes referred to creativeliterature in general."###We all know what we think poetry is. Some people call Jack and Jill a poem. Other people gravitate toward Howl.I read one article that stated prose poetry is indeed poetry because it has rhythm, rhyme, assonance, imagery, consonance, and repetition. There are expectations for a prose poem. It's usually presented in block form, and is generally no longer than a page. The main difference between traditional forms and a prose poem, is that the prose poem has to achieve it's purpose without the help of meter's beauty.
All of this blah blah blah is my warm up into the definition of prose poetry. A highly educated and astute friend disagrees with me that it's poetry at all. I, despite my haphazard education, think otherwise. It's a new form and has no tradition to back it up but, as a sort of contradiction, I discovered that prose poetry began in 19th century France. Another source said the Book of Psalms in the King James bible is prose poetry. Mary Oliver seems to be sitting on the fence when she says, "...or perhaps just because it's something other than a poem" but she also says prose poetry must change the reader. The reader must feel a response, just as we expect from poetry in general. Poetic devices are regularly used in fiction, particularly in literary fiction, and serve to enhance the writing for all to enjoy. The Meadow by James Galvin is a good example. We readers are grateful when we come across beautiful writing, no matter what the label is.If you're interested in reading some excellent prose poetry, go to the works of Pablo Neruda, W.S. Merwin, and Walt Whitman. Jim Harrison is a personal favorite.
I agree, a prose poetry has its own style and rhythm. But those could be more complex than regular meters of a conventional poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Poetry deserves better treatment than the generalizations I apply to it. Wikipedia credits poetry as having 67 sub-genres. I had never given this much thought, but the list makes some sense. I hope to go to a poetry slam one day to further broaden my education.
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