Poetic Closure: A Study of How Poems End

Front Cover
University of Chicago Press, 1968 - Literary Criticism - 289 pages
0 Reviews
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified

In Poetic Closure, distinguished literary scholar Barbara Herrnstein Smith explores the provocative question: How do poems end? To answer it, Smith examines numerous individual poems and examples of common poetic forms in order to reveal the relationship between closure and the overall structure and integrity of a poem. First published in 1968, Smith’s book remains essential reading in poetic theory.

“Ranging from Elizabethan lyric through free and syllabic verse and concrete poetry, Poetic Closure is a learned, witty, and richly illustrated study of the behavior of poems. . . . It can be read, enjoyed, studied by people who like reading poetry, including—I would suspect—poets.”—Richard M. Elman, New York Times Book Review

From inside the book

 

What people are saying - Write a review

We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.

Selected pages

Contents

Introduction
1
The Perception of Poetic Structure
8
Closure and Stability
33
Thematic Structure and Closure
96
Associative and Dialectic Structure
139
Special Terminal Features
151
Further Aspects and Problems of Closure
196
Failures of Closure
210
BIBLIOGRAPHY
273
INDEX
279
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

alliteration allusions appear appropriate become begin chapter characteristic closed closural effects closural force complete concerned conclusion consider continuation conventional corresponding course create death depend described determined devices discussed earlier elements epigram example expectations experience expressive extent fact familiar final formal formal structure further give illustrated implied integrity interesting involve kind language less lines linguistic logical lyric meaning meter nature observed obviously occur particular passage pattern perhaps phrase poem poem's poet poetic poetry possible present principle probably problem question reader reason referred reflects regard relation repetition represent respect response rhyme secure seems sense sequence significant song sonnet sort sound speak speech stability stanza strengthen style succession suggest syntactic Tell tend terminal thematic structure thing thou thought tion traditional true truth turn ultimately unit utterance verse York

References to this book

About the author (1968)

Barbara Herrnstein Smith is distinguished professor of English at Brown University and the Braxton Craven Professor of Comparative Literature and English at Duke University, where she is also director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Science and Cultural Theory.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Poetic Closure
TitlePoetic Closure: A Study of How Poems End
Page 381 of Phoenix books
Volume 381 of Phoenix books: University of Chicago Press
Study of How Poems End
AuthorBarbara Herrnstein Smith
Editionillustrated, reprint, revised
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press, 1968
ISBN0226763439, 9780226763439
Length289 pages
Subjects › 

Literary Criticism / General
Literary Criticism / Poetry
  
Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan