How To Read A Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry

This is a great book with detailed explanations and the enthusiasm of the author shines through. It is not, however, a light read so don't buy it unless you are truly passionate about poetry.

This book is a 'must read' for any lover of poetry and anyone who want to understand it better. Remarkably insightful guide. It may change your life! However, you won't get the mechanical analysis of form, metaphor etc., here. Instead Hirsch has a particular idea to propound: that poetry is created in a state of altered consciousness, a kind of ecstatic reverie, though he combines this with incredibly detailed and sensitive understanding and analysis of the poems he concentrates on. And there are also the seeds of his later ideas about 'duende' - that powerful but ineffable sadness and underlying danger that imbues much great work and which later found expression in his book 'The Demon and the Angel'. It is a poetic book about poetry.

A mentor of mine always used to say "There are two kinds of people in this world!" and he would then expand on whatever dichotomy was on his mind at the moment. He might well have said that there are those who "get" poetry, and those who don't. I have always been firmly in the latter camp, but perhaps am more recently moving toward the former. Though I still have quite a ways to go, this book really helped move me along. This is a very well-written introduction to the joys of reading poetry. Besides presenting the reader with examples of many different types and styles of poetry it's just very enjoyable to read this author's writing.While my reaction to the poems in the book is not even on the same scale as the author's very visceral, emotional responses, I feel like I nevertheless grasped enough of his reaction to know what he was feeling, and what he was getting at in his description. But I'll admit that some of the poems I read over and over again trying to detect some of *his* response in *me*, and I rarely did. I think this has more to do with my naivete, and I sort of envied the author's obvious depth of feeling in response to these poems.Anyway - it's a great read and if you're a lover of poetry or even just curious about it, I recommend this book highly.

Good price. Perfect... like new condition. Never been read, no fading, etc...

I always struggled to understand poetry although I loved reading it this book gives me a new perspective on poetry and I can understand what the poet is expressing.