What Makes a Poem a Poem? (The Art of Reading Poetry #1) (Patreon)

Today we're starting a new series - 'The Art of Reading Poetry'.

Each episode will cover a different aspect of this nourishing art form and compliment the Poetry Appreciation Masterclasses.

This video is an introductory piece, in which we'll discuss metre-making argument, musicality, visuality, figurative language, and good poetry vs bad poetry.

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 What makes a poem a poem?
• 2:00 metre-making argument
• 3:40 Ezra Pound's theory of literature
• 4:15 what is Great Literature?
• 4:30 phanopoeia (visuals)
• 5:00 melopoeia (melody)
• 5:30 logopoeia (figurative language)
• 6:30 poetic prose writers 
• 7:30 when poetry becomes prose
• 8:00 an example of a bad poem
• 10:50 'To be, or not to be'
• 12:00 how to unlock the power of poetry
• 13:00 Hemingway vs Joyce 
• 14:15 art and the condition of music
• 15:00 Emily Dickinson 
• 15:30 how to tell if a poem is great

Poetry Deep-Dive Selection:

• Shelley's 'Ode to the West Wind' 
• Browning's 'Childe Roland' 
• The Poetry of Emily Dickinson 
• An Introduction to the Romantic Sublime 
• The Art of the Haiku 

Questions for You:

1) What do you think makes a poem a poem?

2) What was the last poem you enjoyed? 

3) What poem will you read next? If you would like a personal recommendation, let us know something of your aesthetic taste and I will tailor a poem recommendation just for you.

Happy reading, everybody!