"The Poetry Handbook" is a lucid and practical guide to the poet's craft. There are chapters on metre, form, layout, lineation, punctuation, rhyme, diction, syntax, history, biography, and gender, as well as one on exams which includes sample essays by undergraduates. At the end of every chapter each topic is applied to the same poem, Nobel-winner Derek Walcott's 'Nearing Forty', building up a full technical reading. Critical and scholarly terms are italicized and clearly explained, both in the text and in glossaries; notes and quotations are supplemented by detailed reference to both the Oxford Anthology of English Literature and the Norton Anthology of Poetry; and there is a substantial 'Suggestions for Further Reading' section. Designed particularly for A-level and undergraduate students facing exams in Practical Criticism, The Poetry Handbook will fascinate and reward anyone interested in how poems work.
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"Lennard succeeds in being as exhaustive as he can possibly be..." -- Caroline Bertoneche, Universite de Provence
"Very readable... gives and excellent overview of poetry in English and will explain rhythm, metre and style." -- The Observer, February 2006 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"Very readable... gives and excellent overview of poetry in English and will explain rhythm, metre and style." -- The Observer, February 2006 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
John Lennard has taught at the universities of London and Cambridge, and for the Open University. He has published three books: But I Digress (1991), the best-selling Poetry Handbook (1996) and The Drama Handbook (2002). He is presently Dean of the Shakespeare Programme at the British-American Drama Academy in London; on the Global Virtual Faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University; and teaches for the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
--This text refers to an alternate
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This is analysed as five feet, each foot consisting of an unstressed beat following by a stressed beat; I have a separated the feet with a vertical slash: When I I do COUNT I the CLOCK I that TELLS I the TIME This kind of foot is called an iamb (pronounced e-AMB) and there are five of them, so the line is an iambic pentameter (from the Greek word [pente], meaning 'five'). Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This is analysed as five feet, each foot consisting of an unstressed beat following by a stressed beat; I have a separated the feet with a vertical slash: When I I do COUNT I the CLOCK I that TELLS I the TIME This kind of foot is called an iamb (pronounced e-AMB) and there are five of them, so the line is an iambic pentameter (from the Greek word [pente], meaning 'five'). Read the first page
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Laertes
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book for those who want to know how poems work. It is primarily concerned with poetry's "nuts and bolts". And it handles that well. If you like Ruth Padel's "52 Poems" and "60 Poems", you will find a lot here to interest you.
When you have read it, it will remain a handy reference for terms used in poetry, for how to punctuate more or less anything, for information on layout and on lineation, for information on syntax, and so on - all in neat sections in the text, easy to find, clearly explained, and all necessary for the appreciation of poetry. The treatment of rhythm and rhyme is basic but good. On criticism and theory the book is a little light, limiting itself to three fairly short chapters, "History", "Biography", and "Gender".
I realise that a single book, even one called "The Poetry Handbook", will not be able to cover everything in depth. For this reason I would recommend that someone new to the study of poetry read alongside it another book to get a fuller picture, something like "Beginning Theory" by Peter Barry or even the "Very Short Introduction to Literary Theory" by Jonathan Culler.
This is not to put down this book at all. I still rate this book at four stars for what it achieves, because it does that very well; and its associated website should remain as useful as the printed text.
When you have read it, it will remain a handy reference for terms used in poetry, for how to punctuate more or less anything, for information on layout and on lineation, for information on syntax, and so on - all in neat sections in the text, easy to find, clearly explained, and all necessary for the appreciation of poetry. The treatment of rhythm and rhyme is basic but good. On criticism and theory the book is a little light, limiting itself to three fairly short chapters, "History", "Biography", and "Gender".
I realise that a single book, even one called "The Poetry Handbook", will not be able to cover everything in depth. For this reason I would recommend that someone new to the study of poetry read alongside it another book to get a fuller picture, something like "Beginning Theory" by Peter Barry or even the "Very Short Introduction to Literary Theory" by Jonathan Culler.
This is not to put down this book at all. I still rate this book at four stars for what it achieves, because it does that very well; and its associated website should remain as useful as the printed text.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book really explains poetry well. It uses famous examples to illustrate its points plus one poem which recurs throughout the different subject ares.
20 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By the examiner
Format:Paperback
While this book is undeniably comprehensive, it is over-written and the author's voice is very intrusive and off-putting. The sub-chapters are not broken down into easy-to-use sections (I wanted to find out more about free verse and was left wading through pages of indulgent waffle); and for a book which claims to have been written as a 'crib' for students, I won't be using it as a reference book in future with any relish.
For beginners to intermediates, I would recommend Stephen Fry's excellent, witty 'The Ode less Travelled' which is much more accessible and enjoyable to read, and makes writing your own poetry pleasantly challenging. It's also much cheaper.
Terry Eagleton's 'How to read a Poem' is aimed at a similar, academic market to 'The Poetry Handbook' and I found that book far preferable and more persuasive, although admittedly not as thorough.
Overall, I was very disappointed with this book, particularly as I'd come to expect more from Oxford. If you have to read it, then good luck: if you don't, shop around first.
For beginners to intermediates, I would recommend Stephen Fry's excellent, witty 'The Ode less Travelled' which is much more accessible and enjoyable to read, and makes writing your own poetry pleasantly challenging. It's also much cheaper.
Terry Eagleton's 'How to read a Poem' is aimed at a similar, academic market to 'The Poetry Handbook' and I found that book far preferable and more persuasive, although admittedly not as thorough.
Overall, I was very disappointed with this book, particularly as I'd come to expect more from Oxford. If you have to read it, then good luck: if you don't, shop around first.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
I HAVE BECOME A DICIPLE
This book is written to answer all my questions. I am looking forward to using this book as a resource that will never go out of date. Read more
Published 22 months ago by ivor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy this fabulous book
The first edition of John Lennard's The Poetry Handbook (it was red) changed my whole approach to reading and writing, so that I wonder now whether I actually was reading at... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2006 by NIP MacKinnon
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