Brush Up Your Poetry!

by Michael Macrone

Traces hundreds of sayings, mottoes, and maxims to their roots in poetry by writers including Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Whitman, Yeats, and Frost

Genres: Poetry, Reference, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Chaucer, but who knew he introduced so many sayings into English (many common or stolen)? Macrone did. Perhaps I was told by my English teachers way back, but I must have forgotten. Same is true for so much in this book. I read quite a few of these poems from Shakespeare to modern, but there were a lot of things new to me in them. I think I knew Shakespeare often wrote about some beautiful boy he knew. Most of the poetry is actually fragments of popular sections, but no matter, you will pick up a few things, even if you are a dedicated poetry reader. Macrone's style may put off some people, but it was aimed at younger readers and an attempt to be "cool" (written 20 years ago). I enjoyed this refresher. His specialty was apparently Shakespeare, so I will try and pick up the companion book on his works.

[Susan Liston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of book to keep out and reread, as it is too much to absorb completely in the first go-round. It is a basic overview of the major English language poets starting with Chaucer, featuring poems containing famous quotes. Now I had at least heard of all of these poets, but darned if I knew the origins of all these quotes, some of which I use all the time. I was quite amazed at my ignorance, and I feel a lot smarter now.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect bathroom tome, this non-book (as they were once called) is fun reading about phrases that began in English language poems then became common figures of speech. Macrone stretches points on occasion to include phrases I had never heard before, but that does not negate the enjoyment I had from this book. Do not gulp many pages at once or the content will not stay with you. This one is best savored by sipping.

[Bibliomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun.

[Beth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in bits and pieces, which matched the way it was written. Macrone presents snippets of poetry spanning English and American literary history that also have embedded within them some familiar sayings from today. By including a handful of lines, the reader gets a flavor for the piece, and by including context, the reader learns a bit about the literature, the author, and the intent.

I was familiar with most of the poets and some of the sections and it was nice to revisit them. The context sections were plainly written and easy to understand. I liked it as a dip into the span of English poetry when I didn't feel like going further but I think it would also serve as an introduction.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember reading this before today. I certainly understood more of it than I would have twenty years ago if that's when I read it. The author speaks clearly, but with a bit of tongue in cheek, the kind of literary criticism I need to understand something as foreign to me as poetry.

[Brian Bohmueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great. Decent snapshot of English poetry. A glimpse of varied verse that has current use in modern speech, alas I felt too many excerpts were out of context and thus did not provide a true poetic experience.