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193rd out of 242 books
—
76 voters
Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry
Assigned more than any other introductory poetry text on the market
Paperback, 401 pages
Published
September 28th 1991
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
(first published 1956)
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Sound and Sense in a nutshell:
Poetry is deep and thought-provoking. Let me tell you exactly how and what you're supposed to think about it.
No, sorry, it doesn't work that way. Telling me what to think kills the process of allowing me to think for myself, and I feel like that defeats the point of poetry. A good poem can be seen in a number of lights, but telling me that only one is valid doesn't encourage me to dig deeper into the meaning of the poem.
Beyond the indoctrination, there are some go...more
Poetry is deep and thought-provoking. Let me tell you exactly how and what you're supposed to think about it.
No, sorry, it doesn't work that way. Telling me what to think kills the process of allowing me to think for myself, and I feel like that defeats the point of poetry. A good poem can be seen in a number of lights, but telling me that only one is valid doesn't encourage me to dig deeper into the meaning of the poem.
Beyond the indoctrination, there are some go...more
What I liked most about this book, compared to other instructive books of poetry, is the selection of formalist poetry. Granted, it seemed like half of it was Emily Dickinson (and I'm not even sure if that's an exaggeration to be honest) but that's okay because Emily Dickinson had some great poems and her layers are often friendly to the understanding. This book offers a very intensive introduction to how it intends to appraise the poems which makes it great for anyone new to poetry, as well as...more
It's a bit dry, but tons of great poems. I really like how they go over meter, it's one of the better tutorials on the matter. I don't particularly love the organization of the book, and I really wish there were a bit more on each poet - more than the years they lived. My favorite part of the book are the guiding questions. Very helpful as you try to breakdown and understand a poem.
The most offensive thing to me was the little dissertation on how a poem is determined to be 'great.' There is an i...more
The most offensive thing to me was the little dissertation on how a poem is determined to be 'great.' There is an i...more
Despite some questionable New-Critical bias, this is nevertheless the most informative book on the theory of poetry I've ever read. It comes with an interesting selection of poems, divides nicely into chapters and is downright helpful with definitions, and has come the closest of anything (teachers included) I've ever come across to helping me understand versification and scansion-- not just the terminology involved, that is, but as a tool for helping one understand and appreciate poems. I recom...more
If you are looking for a straight-forward, no-nonsense, honest and real "introduction to poetry"...this is the book for you. It is excellent in every way. Every chapter progresses naturally from the next. The poetry used is top-notch, perfectly complimenting each "lesson". It is a pleasure to read, an educational joy, and a beautiful doorway into the world of poetry.
Oct 29, 2012
Muhammed Al-Bishri
marked it as to-read
هذا الكتاب موجود بكثرة في المكتبات في أبها وأشتريته قبل شوي ب 15 ريال فقط كأرخص كتاب انجليزي اشتريتة منذ نحو 14 سنة وهو مقدمة في الشعر وأشتريت معه كتاب آخر بنفس السعر بعنوان المصادر الادبية واللغوية في التراث العربي للدكتور عز الدين اسماعيل
أجازة الحج 1433 - 2012
أجازة الحج 1433 - 2012
A fabulous guide to the appreciation of poetry in general, and a wonderful companion to and commentary on some of the best poetry and poets in the English language—both old and new, lofty and whimsical. A delightful and invaluable literary companion and reference.
I've read several chapters out of this. I plan to finish it, but at the moment, my favorite part is the enormous amount of poetry. Every chapter has a dozen or more examples of great poetry that exhibits the qualities described in the chapter.
fairly standard, fairly dry intro to poetry. some lofty philosophical questions mixed with some pragmatic approaches to the study of one of the more complex literary types.
excellent collection of poems, if that matters.
excellent collection of poems, if that matters.
This is a very good book for teaching the elements of poetry and how to explicate poems. I only have two complaints about the book--at times I think the authors could have gone into a little more detail in their definitions before presenting poems to look at, and they don't entirely understand sarcasm as they feel its only purpose is to tear down in one way or another. Otherwise, it is organized in such a way that it focuses the reader on the important issues of poems first (i.e. meaning) and on...more
Oh rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night
In the howling storm
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
The invisible worm
That flies in the night
In the howling storm
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
Feb 18, 2011
Survina
is currently reading it
covers poetry for 4000 years - i need some new books. Kind of fun to read, lots of different poems. I almost know what a metaphor is now. Been reading this one for many years
I liked some of the poetry in this book a lot. Others...not so much. I abhorred having to answer the questions for English class.
How did this get to be the standard text? The dude's taste is dubious, his ear is dubious, and he's not a poet.
Sound and Sense is a classic introductory to poetry that many of you might have encountered in high school or college. I recently found my copy from high school and was reviewing it just to refresh my knowledge of poetry terms.
Although books like this can often drain the joy out of reading poetry, the commentary is pretty interesting and insightful. Aside from the educational aspect of the work, the collection of poems in the book is sensational. While I don't know that I'd go pay $85 for the n...more
Although books like this can often drain the joy out of reading poetry, the commentary is pretty interesting and insightful. Aside from the educational aspect of the work, the collection of poems in the book is sensational. While I don't know that I'd go pay $85 for the n...more
This was the poetry bible for first-year students in my English major. Very useful, especially for those who need guidance in understanding poetry, like me for instance ;P Those questions at the end of each poem, I can't tell you how much that helped me form some semblance of interpretation. I just found my copy of this book (actually it's my sister's copy, I used her old books for class) among other books that I forgot I still have, so I guess it would be useful whenever I feel the need for som...more
A wonderful collection, provocative of inquisitiveness, eloquent and complete. Savory, not sweet.
I loved studying poetry from this book. There were so many wonderful poems tucked in collection.
This book is suitable for self-teaching for those who want to learn more about poetry.
Jan 16, 2010
Prowoolaol.com
added it
First published edition 1956. What constitutes "good" poetry.
The best book I have read about poetry. I have read several editions.
Oct 03, 2012
Jim Booth
added it
Perrine's chestnut of an anthology is a fine introduction to poetry. Let's make every 15 years old in America read it, shall we? There are sillier laws on the books, you know....
Blech. How condescendingly pedagogical can you get?
A very good poetry book. Has some of my favorite poems.
The ultimate user's manual for reading poetry.
It have great poems.
Really enjoyed studying it.
Really enjoyed studying it.
Poetry rocks!
textbook
CHOATE!
How many versions of this exist? I'm guessing tons. God, I cut my teeth on anthologies like this...back in the day when they would put rock lyrics in here by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to try to add "hip interest." Not trying to be elitist, but some of it was really laughingly bad....and the one by Xavier Kennedy...that was just one cut above this lowly bottomfeeder anthology....
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Dec 15, 2012 04:23pm