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Book Description
Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled provides us with a witty and entertaining guide to the mysteries of writing poetry.

Synopsis
Stephen Fry believes that if you can speak and read English you can write poetry. But it is no fun if you don't know where to start or have been led to believe that Anything Goes. Stephen, who has long written poems, and indeed has written long poems, for his own private pleasure, invites you to discover the incomparable delights of metre, rhyme and verse forms. Whether you want to write a Petrarchan sonnet for your lover's birthday, an epithalamion for your sister's wedding or a villanelle excoriating the government's housing policy, The Ode Less Travelled will give you the tools and the confidence to do so. Brimful of enjoyable exercises, witty insights and simple step-by-step advice, "The Ode Less Travelled" guides the reader towards mastery and confidence in the Mother of the Arts.

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Paperweight by Stephen Fry  (7)  £5.99

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22 Reviews 5 star:  (19) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review (22 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   62 of 64 people found the following review helpful: The book I have wanted since I was 14, 2 Nov 2005 By  the_antiquary - See all my reviews This review is from: The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Hardcover) No-one teaches metre. Absolutely no-one. I had some excellent English teachers, but they all seemed to be bound by some Masonic vow not to disclose its secrets. I know a published poet, naturally gifted, a mobile library of learning, and utterly unable to communicate enjoyably even the basics of the lost rules of verse. Stephen Fry steps in like a concerned uncle and jovially dismisses the nonsense preventing us from growing up and writing proper poetry, better, he accompanies us beyond the foreword so that this, if you ever had any doubt, is never a dry book. He imparts something at least as valuable as laughter (also included), a sense of achievement gained through real knowledge that you can apply, not mere trivia. Even if you already write free verse and won’t give it up by the end, even if you never really intend to write poetry at all, this is an invaluable aid to understanding the great poets; your hat size will increase, other British people will be grudgingly impressed and grateful sons, daughters, and cute English students will want to spend more time with you, doing their homework for them. Encouraging the population to write poetry could be a toxically dangerous thing to do, but not, I think, if they read this book.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   35 of 37 people found the following review helpful: This book is worth ten stars., 28 April 2007 By  J. D. Aspinall (South West England) - See all my reviews    This review is from: The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Hardcover) Stephen fry is one of the rarest of fellows; fiercely intelligent without a trace of intellectual snobbery. I could listen to him all day. I bought this for my interest in writing discipline. The constraints of form that poets and theatrical lyricists (the decent ones, anyway) work within fascinates me, and has done for years. Sir Tim Rice has said that his best work always comes when the melody is written first. Having to write within melodic constraints tends to focus the mind much more than a blank page ever will. A blank page allows thoughts to drift and wander; working within certain rules of form ensures that the mind remains sharpened to the task. Poets are drowning in rules. I was thrilled to learn that there are so many to consider. I have some interest in what Poets have to say, but a huge interest in how they choose to say it. Stephen Fry has presented this subject in a style that is accessible and amusing and that is a sign of his, perhaps, limitless talent. The word "genius" is used far too often nowadays. In Stephen Fry's case I think it is wholly appropriate. I hope you buy this book. It is certainly worth your money.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   36 of 39 people found the following review helpful: Buy it!, 26 Aug 2007 By  decomplexity (Rutland, UK) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within (Hardcover) I have been searching for ages for a something - anything - which clearly explained metre and feet, and all the different verse forms: the sonnets, ballads, odes et alia, things which seem to have vanished from English courses (to be superseded by `creativity' and incomprehensible blank verse). Having read and tried and failed to understand Edgar Allan Poe's account of metre, the fog suddenly lifted after reading Fry's really excellent book. I can now recite Poe's The Raven and understand the underlying metrical scheme; for me an achievement! This book covers a lot of ground, is surprisingly comprehensive and - as a testament to Fry's brilliance - is easy to read but not patronising. He will probably upset academics by writing clearly and without unnecessary jargon.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?