Practical Poetry Criticism: Judging Merit

There comes an inevitable part of any process of practical criticism when the critic has to ask herself, is this poem any good? Is it better than others? How can I judge what is good and what is not good in poetry? There are several ways to approach answering these questions and, preferably, several component parts to a composite but complete answer.

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Ideology

In addition to consideration of the rhyme scheme, scansion, word choice and imagery, it is also important to consider the ideology informing the writing of the poem. Ideology means a series of principles and concepts that frame the way that people look at the world and its events.

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Rhyme

Perhaps the first thing that people think about when they consider a poem is whether it rhymes. It is generally thought preferable for a poem to rhyme because this suggests the poet has given some thought to word choice and structure and has demonstrated a measure of skill. In modern verse, it is not considered essential and, indeed, some poets try to avoid rhyme because, among various reasons, they feel it is inappropriate for a broken or fractured society in which grand narratives can no longer be supported.

 

Read the full article here.



Practical Poetry Criticism: Classical Allusion

One of the most common forms of poetic expression, particularly in pre-modern verse, is the use of classical allusion. Unfortunately, as knowledge of the classical world is so much less prevalent in contemporary western society, this feature is one which now makes it much harder for many modern readers to appreciate and enjoy such poetry.

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Simile and Metaphor

Similes and metaphors are among the most common forms of poetic word usage. The difference between the two is that a simile explicitly states that one thing is like (or similar to) another thing, while a metaphor suggests that one thing or person resembles another. The former tends to be used in a more formal and extended manner, especially in the metaphysical school of poetry or in the kind of lyrical pastoral poetry based on shepherds who count the ways in which their beloved resembles a third party or object (‘let me count the ways’).

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Imagery

Poets use words to describe both concrete and abstract concepts. The way they describe the concrete phenomena is the main source of imagery within a poem: that is, imagery is the way that phenomena are depicted within a poem. In everyday prose, such as we might speak or write during our working lives, accuracy is usually considered to be a virtue. However, poetry is quite different and a poet will wish to add an extra layer of meaning to every image employed.

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Content

Form and content are perhaps the most important and most obvious areas of poetry criticism to address. Talking about the first indicates the understanding of the nature of the poem and how it relates to the other poetry of the world; talking about the second indicates understanding of the poem itself and what it, at least on the face of it, means. Content, in other words, matters.

Read the full article here.

Practical Poetry Criticism: Form

When starting to criticize a poem, perhaps the first thing to consider is the form of the poem. One of the principal ways in which poetry differs from prose is that it matters how the words appear on the page. Prose can be reformatted, re-designed and reprinted in other media and it does not usually make any significant difference – this is definitely not the case with poetry.

Read the full article here.

Critics of Shakespeare: George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish writer, principally a dramatist, many of whose works have proven to be enduring favourites on the stage and to have translated well to the screen. His most famous works include Pygmalion (filmed as ‘My Fair Lady’), Arms and the Man and Man and Superman. He was awarded both the Nobel Prize for Literature and an Oscar.

Read the full article here.

Critics of Shakespeare: W.H. Auden

Wystan Hugh (W.H.) Auden (1907-73) was one of the most loved and influential poets of the twentieth century. Born into a conventional Anglo-Catholic family, his early religious beliefs gave way to left-wing ideology and he visited Spain in support of the anti-Fascist movement in the Civil War there and China in 1938 during the war which ultimately the Chinese Communist Party would win was taking place.

Read the full article here.