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/lit/ - Literature

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9118884 No.9118884 [Reply] [Original]

What the fuck do I need to do to understand this shit?

How do I into poetry?

>> No.9118890

Why do you want to into poetry, bud?

>> No.9118898
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9118898

>> No.9118899

>>9118890
I feel like I'm missing out.

>> No.9118901

>>9118884

end notes, dante, dislike of romantic poets

>> No.9118904

>>9118884
wittgenstein helps

>> No.9118933

>>9118884
An exaggerated sense of self-grandeur, anti-semitism and an extensive knowledge of classical rape scenes in literature or myth

>> No.9118961

>>9118884
deep seated hatred of women

>> No.9118968

>>9118884
fuck loads of ether

>> No.9118988
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9118988

>>9118884
Serious reply here OP, start with Prufrock. It's pretty intuitive, but if you need help, go to Genius.

T.S. Eliot is a difficult read. His poetry is filled with intertextuality and odd metaphors. You'd be better off reading the entirety of Spring and All if you want a better start into Modernism or poetry as a whole.

Don't be discouraged if you don't "get" it. Poetry doesn't necessarily subscribe to the idea of a plot or traditional meaning in the sense that literature does. With poetry, you're looking to get a feel of how the poet thinks. How they processes reality. Once you think of it that way, it's abstract nature will open up to you. Good luck!

>> No.9118992

Can someone recommend a really good general all purpose introduction to the analysis and understanding of poetry? Is the Poetry Handbook by John Lennard any good? It was on a cambridge recommended reading list but Unis can be stupid sometimes.

>> No.9119121

>>9118992
Honestly, a one-size-fits-all approach to poetry really isn't the best way to go about it. There's such an enormous stylistic range that it would be erroneous to assume one mode of analysis of a particular poem would be just as suited to another. Best thing you can do is start off by reading Shakespearean verse/poetry, or anything with metrical consistency or straightforward rhymes, so you can recognise different metres and poetic forms, and then go through its images and expressions with a fine-tooth comb. Pay attention to the role of the speaker - are they a discrete individual? Is the poet writing in a variety of different voices? To what extent can we trust the authority of their perspective? Historical/mythological knowledge is useful, particularly if the poem depends upon context-specific references, but they should always be used to serve your own analysis of the poem itself, rather than reinforcing the intentions of the poet.