The Flexible Lyric

by Ellen Bryant Voigt

These nine eloquent and skillfully crafted essays by a distinguished poet examine the art of lyric poetry in all aspects of its design and structure. Through attentive readings of a variety of artists, including her contemporaries, Ellen Bryant Voigt celebrates the structure and elasticity of lyric poems. She argues for reading as a writer reads―with equal parts passion and analysis. Her analyses of the effects of tone, image, voice, and structure connect brilliant theory with tangible examples.

Intimate as well as informative, the collection begins with a discussion of the creative process and Voigt's fascination with the writing of Flannery O'Connor and Elizabeth Bishop. Readings of lyric poems by Shakespeare, Sidney, Poe, Stevens, Williams, Larkin, Bogan, Roethke, Plath, Levertov, Berryman, and others demonstrate the roles of gender, point of view, image, and music in poetry. An experienced teacher, Voigt focuses on the lyric but encourages, in any study of poetry, original thinking, attention to structure, and, above all, close reading of the work itself. An intelligent and thought-provoking marriage of art and scholarship, The Flexible Lyric exemplifies, with fierceness, dedication, and precision, how the making of poems is not just a trade but a calling.

Genres: Poetry, Essays, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

234 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Kassy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I understood. I will read this again when I am smarter. It was nice to read such academic essays on poetry written by a practicioner of the craft, and I liked that she didn't have any extreme aesthetic polemic to advance. Some of the chapters (especially the one about the difference between form, structure, and texture) were slightly hard for me to grasp, but I found the other chapters on adjectives, syntax, tone, image, and revision helpful. As someone who also sometimes gets confused if I am writing "poetry," I also found this book useful.

[Lisa Hase-Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hugely important book that should be on every poet's bookshelf. A clear, careful, and useful exploration of the role of lyric construction in poetry as well as a study in how lyric and narrative inform one another in poetry.

[Mike Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of essays is great for anyone who wants to write without a crossing guard.

[Sherry Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent thought-provoking book for one who struggles to write a vital lyric poetry.

[Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Self-congratulatory obscurantist academic pablum.