The Art Of series is a new line of books reinvigorating the practice of craft and criticism. Each book will be a brief, witty, and useful explo...
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Apr 26, 2011
Tiffany
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I found Longenbach's explanation of line endings as opposed to line breaks helpful. One of the first points he makes is that the term line break is an inaccurate metaphor because when a line ends, the syntax may not also break, and that it is the relationship between line and syntax that forms the music of poems. I also found the discussion of various types of enjambement (annotating line and parsing line) to be really interesting, particularly as I am reading Chronic by D.A. Powell. I also fina
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Sep 13, 2009
Julene
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This whole series is excellent. I heard James Longenbach speak from this book at AWP in NYC and I was transfixed wanting to get it all down. At the end I asked if everything he said was in the book and he said yes. This book is very helpful for my own poetry, he explains in a way I've not heard before, about what it means to annotate and to parse lines:
to Annotate lines is to cut against a grammatical unit—to annotating the syntax with emphasis the syntex itself would not provide. Th More...
to Annotate lines is to cut against a grammatical unit—to annotating the syntax with emphasis the syntex itself would not provide. Th More...
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Oct 24, 2009
Oscar
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Excellent instructional text. If you've ever wondered why lines end the way they do or how to vary our own poetics, this is the book for you. Clearly written for a writer who is already versed in contemporary American poetics that is seeking to delve into another layer of their craft; read-not for the workshop faint-hearted.
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Mar 19, 2011
Rachel
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Really interesting (if not a bit repetitive at times). Anyone versed in poetry (ZING!) knows what lines do, but reading this book-length essay has gotten me to rethink what I know at a time when I really need to. I want to go through all of my poems now and rework the lines, just to play around.
Oct 04, 2010
Andreea
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A bit pointlessly long, but overall instructive. For some reason (I suspect it's the general oddity of American English) the author uses "sonic" instead of "auditory" (e.g. sonic imagery). Reminded me of Doctor Who which caused much distraction.
Mar 05, 2009
Erin
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This book helped me to better understand line endings and how to play with them more effectively in my own work. Also, I am now completely distracted by the line endings in the books I read for school.
My criticism of this book really boils down to the fact that it is much easier to look at a "finished" poem by someone else and then discuss how their line endings do or do not work. It is much harder to do this when in the midst of writing my own poems. But I am playing ar More...
My criticism of this book really boils down to the fact that it is much easier to look at a "finished" poem by someone else and then discuss how their line endings do or do not work. It is much harder to do this when in the midst of writing my own poems. But I am playing ar More...
Jul 22, 2008
Whitney
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I think the first two sections of this book, "Line and Syntax" and "Ending the Line" deliver, but the third section, "Poem and Prose" was disappointing. I didn't find it useful as a writer or in looking at it as a teacher. This section flirts with the idea of discussing "prose poems," but mostly just talks around them and does little to add to the discussion in the first two sections. Despite this, the first two sections are worth a read, especially for
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Jan 23, 2009
CELIA
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Going to have to read this a couple of times over, taking notes. I have never understood lineation better, I must say. Longenbach writes clearly despite the difficult material (especially for the uninitiated), and gives plenty of examples. I highly recommend it to anyone who writes/teaches/reads poetry seriously.
Jul 06, 2009
Mike
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Useful terminology -- endstopped, parsing, and annotating lines -- and clear thinking, as always with Longenbach. A little ponderous at times.
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Mar 22, 2010
Vaman
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Short, sweet. Finally criticism that is useful to the act of writing poetry.
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Jul 30, 2008
Bob
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Longenbach defines three types of line breaks: end-stopped; parsing (breaks on syntactic borders); and annotated (breaks which suspend and transform meaning between two lines.)
He applies the words "thrilling" and "exciting" to examples of poetry that I find to be neither. I was also irked by his grouping of Shakespeare and Milton with the "thrilling" and
"exciting" Glück and Bidart.
I agree with what Longenbach says in theory, More...
He applies the words "thrilling" and "exciting" to examples of poetry that I find to be neither. I was also irked by his grouping of Shakespeare and Milton with the "thrilling" and
"exciting" Glück and Bidart.
I agree with what Longenbach says in theory, More...
Apr 02, 2008
Donna
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Jim Longenbach has written one of the most informative and understandable books on the use of "line" as a poetic device.
Lavishly supported by poems from all periods, Jim manages to be clear, concise, yet completely nonjudgmental about the way in which lines can work in poetry. A must read for anyone writing poetry.
Lavishly supported by poems from all periods, Jim manages to be clear, concise, yet completely nonjudgmental about the way in which lines can work in poetry. A must read for anyone writing poetry.
Jul 22, 2009
Jeff
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I'm about half-way through and there is nothing in it yet that I didn't learn from Michael Waters. It is thoughtful book and well-written and insightful and for me has so far constituted a good review of essential principles.
Aug 13, 2008
Audrey
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Scholarly but never glib or inassessible. This is an interesting treatise on the poetic line. I'd recommend this for any serious reader or writer of poetry, and definitely would make it required reading for MFA students.
Sep 23, 2008
Natalie
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Worth reading, but I am not fawning over it the way so many people seem to be. It has some great thought.
Oct 18, 2008
Matt
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Very helpful. Much to think about as regards lineation. High suggested--and suggestive--reading.
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