The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide

Citing the work of 50 different poets--from Shakespeare and Donne to Elizabeth Bishop and Frank Bidart--the Poet Laureate explains the principles of the sounds of what is called poetry. n nThe Poet Laureate's clear and entertaining account of how poetry works. n nPoetry is a vocal, which is to say a bodily, art, Robert Pinsky declares in The Sounds of Poetry. The medium of poetry is the human body: the column of air inside the chest, shaped into signifying sounds in the larynx and the mouth. In this sense, poetry is as physical or bodily an art as dancing. n nAs Poet Laureate, Pinsky is one of America's best spokesmen for poetry. In this fascinating book, he explains how poets use the technology of poetry--its sounds--to create works of art that are performed in us when we read them aloud. n nHe devotes brief, informative chapters to accent and duration, syntax and line, like and unlike sounds, blank and free verse. He cites examples from the work of fifty different poets--from Shakespeare, Donne, and Herbert to W. C. Williams, Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, C. K. Williams, Louise Glück, and Frank Bidart. n nThis ideal introductory volume belongs in the library of every poet and student of poetry.n