英语诗歌基础知识.docVIP

Ⅰ. Definition of Poetry Poetry, form of literature, spoken or written, that emphasizes rhythm, other intricate patterns of sound and imagery, and the many possible ways that words can suggest meaning. The word itself derives from a Greek word, poesis, meaning “making” or “creating.” Whereas ordinary speech and writing, called prose, are organized in sentences and paragraphs, poetry in its simplest definition is organized in units called lines as well as in sentences, and often in stanzas, which are the paragraphs of poetry. It is important to keep in mind the distinction between verse and a poem . The word verse has two meanings: one, to refer to a line as a unit of poetry; the other, to refer to any work that uses rhythm and rhyme. Working from the second meaning, one can distinguish between verse and a poem. Those works that fall into a category containing limericks, jingles, and the like , we call verse; works of high and lasting quality we can call poems. For centuries people have tried to define and characterize poetry in many different ways. The following quotations may suggest part of the features of poetry, which are presented by some established poets and critics. “ Poetry is a language that tells us, through a more or less emotional reactions, something that cannot be said.” ------ Edwin Arlington Robinson “ Poetry provides the one possible way of saying one thing and meaning another .” ------ Robert Frost “ The art of uniting pleasure with truth by calling imagination to the help of reason.” ------ Samuel Johnson “ The imaginative expression of strong feelings usually rhythmical … the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings collected in tranquility.” ------ William Wordsworth “ The best words in the best order.” ------ Samuel Taylor Coleridge “ Musical thought.” ------ Thomas Carlyle Poetry uses language and it uses language in a different manner. The practical use of language is to communicate information and to keep the communication channels open,