“Reality is a cliche from which we escape by metaphor.” It didn't take me long while reading Helen Vendler's introduction to poetry to remember this quote from Wallace Stevens, as so much of the best poetry deals with the flouting of conventions and the subverting of cliches. Perhaps the formulaic thinking of greeting cards is necessary at times, but what seems to me even more necessary and fascinating are the new metaphors created and explored by poetry. (There's no way any baby-related greetin More...

Helen Vendler makes poetry comprehendible and enjoyable. First of all, she covers all the major structural terminology, which is convenient. On top of that, she provides useful strategies for breaking down and examining poems. Yes, it's a style of New Criticism and thereby likely to be criticized for destroying the ‘aura’ of the poem, or something. Personally, however, I enjoy the approach of examining why/how a piece of work makes you feel a certain way; an understanding of the relation between More...

i feel that this textbook is a guide on how to completely and totally destroy and annihilate of a work of poetry. it turns the analysis of poetry into a science and takes interpretation way too far, thus unravelling everything to poem originally stood for and making it into some sort of mathematical equation. i'm temporarily scarred--it will take me a little bit to like poetry again. >:[

on the other hand, it has a good anthology in the back so that's how it got it's second star.

A very good introduction to poetry. Gives readers the basic tools and frame of reference needed to begin understanding and developing their own interpretations of poetry in general. I read this in a class as a college freshman, and it was through that class that I truly developed my appreciation for poetry--and this book was definitely part of the process.

5 stars. Theory book. Holy shit!

Yes, this is probably the only theory book that I read as a college literature major that I'll actually recommend. It's theory / historical analysis immediately followed by the actual poems. I underlined tons in this book. Read it.

This is my absolute favorite anthology, ad it's a really fabulous textbook. Have used it as both a student and a teacher, and would recommend it to anyone teaching poetry, teaching creative writing, or just looking for a good anthology and book on prosidy!

Wonderful resource for any high shool/college student seeking to better uderstand the complex and beautiful conventions of poetry; for that matter, a wonderful addition to any adult's home library who seeks to do the same.

A new critics style of approach to reading poetry and my go-to how-to for poetry analysis. It also is a beautiful anthology. Really, Helen Vendler is THE BEST for poetry.

Assigned for an Intro to Writing Poetry course in college. We didn't use it much, and I haven't felt compelled to go back to it since.

Just can't stand the rules that go along with poetry, and this anthology is chalk full of rules. Arhjgdhfgjsdf.

An illuminating book that teaches readers how to read poetry critically and intelligently, step by step.

Using this for my ENLT class this semester. So far, so good.

Vendler’s introduction is intended for novices; but her sagacious and analytic approach manages to achieve accessibility without forfeiting depth. Each chapter explains a particular way of looking at a poem—whether as an arranged life, or as an exploration of language, and so on. And then, after you're armed with a toolbox of interpretive techniques, Vendler pits you against a truly marvelous selection of poems.

For anyone who is literary-minded, but whose knowledge of poetry is lacking, this int More...

This is, by far, the best textbook on the subject that I've seen. And it's not just for undergrads; I still haven't fully absorbed all her insights. But the book still gets only four stars, because Vendler doesn't say much about the intuitive and emotional aspect of poetry. Granted, that might be hard to speak of in a textbook, but it's still necessary to try. Poetry isn't just about words; there is something else present, and without that something else there is no poetry.

Vendler does a great job of deconstructing poems. However, it should only be read for the purpose of practicing deconstructing different poems and poets. I personally skipped to the anthology in the back when my class was done, as it is a great anthology. Recommended for literary theory scholars and students, particularly those into comparing Old styles with more Modern styles. Only complaint: Only ONE poem by Edgar Allen Poe in the anthology!!!!

I think that this book would be helpful in any high school English class during a poetry unit. It provides information on various aspects of poetry and it also provides a large variety of poems. Each part is broken up into different sections, such as poetic kinds, narrative versus lyric, and content genres. It is a really long anthology, so I could only see certain sections being used during the unit.

Favorite anthology to teach. Although I'm more of a Perloff fan, this book is just plain useful and approachable. The best apparatus of any anthology I've seen. The appendices are priceless for poets and readers alike.

This is an intelligent and detailed look at how to understand and talk about poetry, with lots of solid suggestions for making poetry less formidable. I came to new insights about familiar poems and feel better prepared to talk about poetry with my students. Highly recommended for teachers.

A textbook for a writing class I took in college, I found this at my mom's and have been making notes in it so I can use it with my students this fall. The anthology is awesome. Explanations of devices are authenticated with interesting examples. It's a really good guide!

I'm not much of a poetry lover, but this book gave me a pretty good idea of poetry canon and how to write about it. I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't use the book itself again.

Great intro to poetry book. You could also use chapters to introduce literature students to the idea of writing about poems.

a great intro to poetry