The Pursuit of Poetry: A Guide to Its Understanding and Appreciation with an Explanation of Its Forms and a Dictionary of Poetic Terms

by Louis Untermeyer

In this classic reference work, Louis Untermeyer gives us our American poetry in its essential pieces. Written by one of the great twentieth century readers, reading poetry becomes an art easily understood and accessed by all. Whether you are looking for the basic elements of a sonnet or want to read further about poetic image or the place of twentieth century poetry in the larger canon this book "pursues" the questions and offers surprisingly insightful and satisfying answers.Know what a sestina is? Whether you answer "yes" or "no," this book is for you: a must have for any serious reader or writer of poetry.

Genres: Poetry

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 1969

About the author

Louis Untermeyer was the author, editor or compiler, and translator of more than one hundred books for readers of all ages. He will be best remembered as the prolific anthologist whose collections have introduced students to contemporary American poetry since 1919. The son of an established New York jeweler, Untermeyer's interest in poetry led to friendships with poets from three generations, including many of the century's major writers. His tastes were eclectic. Martin Weil related in the Washington Post that Untermeyer once "described himself as 'a bone collector' with 'the mind of a magpie.'" He was a liberal who did much to allay the Victorian myth that poetry is a high-brow art. "What most of us don't realize is that everyone loves poetry," he was quoted by Weil as saying, pointing out the rhymes on the once-ubiquitous Burma Shave road signs as an example.

Untermeyer developed his taste for literature while still a child. His mother had read aloud to him from a variety of sources, including the epic poems "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Hiawatha." Bedtime stories he told to his brother Martin combined elements from every story he could remember, he revealed in Bygones: The Recollections of Louis Untermeyer. When he learned to read for himself, he was particularly impressed by books such as Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King and Dante's Inferno. Gustave Dore's illustrations in these books captivated him and encouraged his imagination toward fantasy. Almost fifty years later, Untermeyer published several volumes of retold French fairy tales, all illustrated by the famous French artist.

In addition to children's books and anthologies, Untermeyer published collections of his own poetry. He began to compose light verse and parodies during his teen years after dropping out of school to join his father's business. With financial help from his father, he published First Love in 1911. Sentiments of social protest expressed in the 1914 volume Challenge received disapproval from anti-communist groups forty years later; as a result of suspicion, Untermeyer lost his seat on the "What's My Line" game show panel to publisher Bennett Cerf. During the 1970s, he found himself "instinctively, if incongruously, allied with the protesting young," he wrote in the New York Times. In the same article he encouraged the spirit of experiment that characterized the decade, saying, "it is the non-conformers, the innovators in art, science, technology, and human relations who, misunderstood and ridiculed in their own times, have shaped our world." Untermeyer, who did not promote any particular ideology, remained a popular speaker and lecturer, sharing criticism of poetry and anecdotes about famous poets with audiences in the United States and as far away as India and Japan.

Untermeyer resigned from the jewelry business in 1923 in order to give all his attention to literary pursuits. Friendships with Robert Frost, Ezra Pound, Arthur Miller, and other literary figures provided him with material for books. For example, The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer contains letters selected from almost fifty years of correspondence with the New England poet. The anthologist's autobiographies From Another World and Bygones relate as much about other writers as they do about his personal life. Bygones provides his reflections on the four women who were his wives. Jean Starr moved to Vienna with Untermeyer after he became a full-time writer; Virginia Moore was his wife for about a year; Esther Antin, a lawyer he met in Toledo, Ohio, married him in 1933; fifteen years later, he married Bryna Ivens, with whom he edited a dozen books for children.

In his later years, Untermeyer, like Frost, had a deep appreciation for country life. He once told Contemporary Authors: "I live on an abandoned farm in Connecticut ... ever since I found my native New York unlivable as well as unlovable.... On these green and sometimes arctic acres I cultivate wha

Reviews

[Gerry LaFemina]

Untermeyer may be out of fashion now, but that doesn't mean some of his insights into poetry--how it works and how its made--aren't true and powerful. The book is easy to read, smartly organized, and comes with a handy glossary that is clear without being dumbed down. A good text for students.

[Noah Bourdeu]

I read this book primarily because I was looking to get into not only reading poetry for the first time in my life, but to also possibly try my hand at writing some of my own poetry some day in the future. From the title and description, I felt like this book was aimed at someone who is just beginning to learn how to read and enjoy poetry; however, it is actually a quite challenging read and does very little to introduce the reader into poetry.

The author attempts several times, in several chapters, on how to define poetry. This comes across as confusing, as the author lists several examples of conflicting definitions between not only poets, but between critics and readers alike. I really felt like these sections could be condensed into one chapter. The rest of the book is the author's review and thoughts on several famous poems and poets, however, his commentary does very little to help the reader better understand poetry and how to enjoy it.

The second half of the book is a dictionary of poetry terms and techniques, which was slightly more helpful, however, still a bit over my head if I have to be honest.

Possibly this book will be helpful for someone with an already solid foundation in poetry, but I would definitely not recommend this to beginners.

[Gini]

I think this book is underrated. The author covers the subject in a way that is so readable and clear that I enjoyed it. Yes, enjoyed it. This is not a textbook, it's an overview or a review of poetry. The longer chapter discussions glide along so smoothly they made me forget the experiences in Literature classes in school. He opposes the dissection practices as the be all and end all of poetry. Yes, it is important to be at least aware of all the terms and forms but not to the exclusion of losing the work itself. I liked his approach and means of presentation.
I have a resource now to help me along the way to appreciating poetry.

[Tandava Graham]

Interestingly, I enjoyed the "dictionary" portion of this book more than the "guide" portion. Seemed to keep him more focused on giving actual information and examples, rather than editorials.