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ernie
53 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Dec 2009 : 09:37:56
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hello to all,
before i ask my question, i think i should give a tiny piece of background. Ok. firstly i live in the village. have reached the age of forty, and discovered that the years have taken there toll on my ever depleting brain cells.
I was not stupid at school,but i was pretty darn close to the edge. English was where i found some kind of connection . I have always been fond of reading,and recently attempted my first few lines of poetry.( hey, this done wonders for my anniversary). Surprisingly ,my wife bought me a poetry book on the same day i bashfully handed her my poem . the book is called `the ode less travelled` by stephen fry.
At present i`m studying chapters 1 &2 on the iambic pentameter ,end stopping and enjambment..ok. Sorry to bore you i`ll just ask the question.
fry is saying I should write lines of iambic pentameter where the lines have exactly ten syllables an example being ,and my favourite
if you could hear,at every jolt,the blood
come gargling from the froth -corrupted lungs
wilfred owen
i have read poems elsewhere,and on this very forum that do not follow this rule ,should poetry follow this rule? is it good practice to do so? or should poetry be written freely ? in my opinion i feel it kind of `boxes ` you in , but i have only just started and have no real understanding so the `boxing in` kind of gives me a guide .
To be honest i may be asking a dumb question ,but I would like to hear opinions ,and grasp an understanding of what i`m studying.
thanks for any `opinions`
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MikeD
156 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2009 : 10:38:29
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The English language is rich in words. It is ever evolving, new words and styles become obsolete to be replaced by new ones. Do not get boxed in by other peoples' rules but make your own to suit yourself. Good luck with your writing.
Mike |
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Margot
369 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2009 : 11:18:57
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Poetry is an expression of feelings put into words by the author - there are "rules" about it - you can find some of them here http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/meter.html
..but there is also blank verse - you can get Gerald Manley Hopkins "sprung rhythm" - or think of Thomas Mcgonagall's verses
And of course - there are our own offerings 
If you want to write poetry - just write it and enjoy it - enjoy expressing yourself! |
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ernie
53 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2009 : 19:00:11
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thanks for the replies,
never thought about styles becoming obsolete etc, think i understand now that one should just write , and as margot says , enjoy expressing yourself; I like that .
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ernie
53 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2009 : 09:02:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Margot
Poetry is an expression of feelings put into words by the author - there are "rules" about it - you can find some of them here http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/meter.html
..but there is also blank verse - you can get Gerald Manley Hopkins "sprung rhythm" - or think of Thomas Mcgonagall's verses
And of course - there are our own offerings
If you want to write poetry - just write it and enjoy it - enjoy expressing yourself!
thanks for the link margot,
It makes sense about certain writing becoming obsolete when i read about Hopkins, a man daring to `think outside the box`must take a bit of guts to do ,i suppose there is a thin line where a person has either achieved something good, or becomes a laughing stock.
thankyou for giving me the name of Mcgonagall, to be honest i had never heard of those guys ( hopkins ) but Mcgonagall `tay bridge to disaster` made me stare at the verse`s and gawp in amazement... somewhere in google land i landed on him under the heading `the wolds worse poet` no matter how you read his work he has been `famous` now for over a century... strange how life pans out..
im off to read about Caesura,baffling me a bit where i`m reading that not all commas are caesura.... fear i have a long way to go in understanding all this, but i`ve become quite fascinated by it all...
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Woodyard
55 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2009 : 10:47:41
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ernie...at last...someone whom shares the passion. As the Timber-yard poet I'm currently producing some work at the moment that follows an element of freedom. I have yet to allow myself to break free from the traditions of confinement, but I continue to embark on this quest. Whilst studying in Asia last year and as part of my curriculum it was to complete a paper on the understanding and meaning behind Chapter 26 of the iambic pentameter - the final transition. I drew upon evidence that Shakespeare is presented as the pure definition of transformative rhythm. Shakespeare's Richard III opening line begins with the following inversion. Its this entry alone that enforces me to follow some type of rule when creating poetry:
Richard III - Now is | the win- | ter of | our dis- | con- tent
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Edited by - Woodyard on 30 Dec 2009 10:48:26 |
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Margot
369 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2009 : 11:24:08
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Aha!
Another disciple of Michael Russell!
Ernie - don't get tied up on the iambic pentameter - just enjoy expressing yourself - that is really what true poetry is.
Try reading the different poets of different ages - look at the metaphysical poets of the 17th Century - John Donne and the like - through Byron, Woodsworth and the romantics etc, through the Victorians to the WWI poets - Rupert Brooke, John McCrae, Wilfred Owen and Sigfried Sassoon. Try Pound, Yeats and Eliot - and dont forget Auden, Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin. Also Benjamin Zephania!
Dip into them - ignore those that bore you and read again those that you enjoy. You could try a commentary - I particularly liked the Longman English Series edited by Geroge MacBeth (Poetry 1900-1975) and also C K Stead.
But just enjoy putting your thoughts into words - your words - not being "clever" - there are enough clever-dicks around - poetry is about your feelings and thoughts! |
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Woodyard
55 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2009 : 21:50:11
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| Wise words Margot |
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iambic pentameter?
