false 150229 1 John Ashbery writes like no one else among contemporary American poets. In the construction of his intricate patterns, he uses words much as the contemporary painter uses form and color- words painstakingly chosen as conveyors of precise meaning, not as representations of sound. These linked in unexpected juxtapositions, at first glance unrelated and even anarchic, in the end create by their clashing interplay a structure of dazzling brilliance and strong emotional impact. From this preoccupation arises a poetry that passes beyond conventional limits into a highly individual realm of effectiveness, one that may be roughly likened to the visual world of Surrealist painting. Some will find Mr. Ashbery's work difficult, even forbidding; but those who are sensitive to new directions in ideas and the arts will discover here much to quicken and delight them.<br><br>A 35th anniversary edition of classic work from a celebrated American poet who has received the Pulitzer Prize, the national Book Award, and the national Book Critics Circle Award. John Ashbery's second book, The Tennis Court Oaths, first published by Wesleyan in 1962, remains a touchstone of contemporary avant-garde poetry. 144997 15 12 1977 The Tennis Court Oath: A Book of Poems total:164|5:70|4:58|3:32|2:2|1:2| 164 684 204 7 5 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1978 Tue Jul 31 07:51:32 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 31 07:54:50 -0700 2007 ready for anything, pure potential. No ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 01:03:32 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 01:18:46 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sat Jan 19 19:52:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 19 19:52:00 -0800 2008 2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars When it's good, it's very very good. But when it's bad..., June 28, 2004

John Ashbery, The Tennis Court Oath (Wesleyan, 1962)

Reading Ashbery's The Tennis Court Oath probably doesn't rank high on the ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 21 06:50:12 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 06:52:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 12 10:58:57 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 11:01:25 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sun Jun 22 07:53:58 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 22 07:54:44 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Jul 24 19:53:16 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 19:53:42 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Wed Sep 30 14:46:06 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 14:46:06 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 29 08:42:40 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 08:43:52 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Sep 04 19:27:31 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 19:27:31 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Aug 25 16:00:37 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 16:00:37 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 15 14:18:18 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 14:18:18 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Aug 03 11:56:57 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 11:56:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jul 27 14:31:18 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 14:31:18 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jul 13 10:30:31 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 10:30:34 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jul 08 23:31:07 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 23:31:07 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jul 06 15:01:06 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 15:01:06 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jun 29 07:58:45 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 07:58:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jun 28 08:30:11 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 08:30:11 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jun 26 17:08:08 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 17:08:08 -0700 2009