Back to Literature or Elftown Academy or Poetry 101


Now, then, let's see. Ah, yes, "Introduce myself," that's what my papers say.
My name is [Aristotle], or Simon, to those who do not wish to call me by my pseudonym. I am a poet, and proud of it. If you wish to see some of my works, I am to be found in the Wyvern's Library, at
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/libr/p/e/pettersson2
You can also stop by my house and read my diary for some designated poems.

Intro: What is poetry?

I'd first like to clear a misconception held by many. Poetry is not the art of the written word. Poetry is the art of the spoken word. That's right. For a poem to come to its right, it should be read out loud. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case, at least nowadays. Aah, the glorious days of old, when minstrels would court ladies by reading them poetry. That is what poetry is all about. When a person reads a poem, (s)he should hear the words as if they were spoken to him/her.

Poetry is also a means of expression. It can be used for many different purposes, but you must say something with it. It can be a story or a lament over a dead friend or lost love.

Finally, as I stated above, poetry is the art of the spoken word. But now, I'd like to emphasize the word art. Poetry is art, and as art, it should be beautiful. This is something I will try to teach here. I will not tell you what to say, but rather how to say it.
I will teach you general guidelines. These guidelines can very well be bent or broken, but this must be done on purpose. One can immediatly tell if a poem does not follow the guidelines because the poet doesn't know about them, or because the poet chooses to ignore them. There's a world of difference.

Alright. Concluding this introduction, I will preview some of the main points we will deal with in this class:
A: Grammar:
   *Syllables
   *Emphasis
B: Rhyme
   *Masculine
   *Feminine
   *The third type, which I don't know the English term for
C: Rhyme schemes/patterns
   *Alexandrin
   *Sonnet
   *Limerick
   *Haiku
   *Etc.
D: "Flow"

We might deal with other things I come up with over time, but these are the main themes.

Does anyone have a question? If so, please ask it now.

Questions/comments:
When is the 2nd day of class?
(write your question/comment above)

I'll not give you any assignments until next class, since this is the first day, but I will assign homework later on (don't worry, they won't be so bad).
Ok, everyone, class is adjourned!

[MissTricky] walkes in looks around and sits down in a chair waiting for other's to come, while taking out a book and reading.
[Krissy] looks around, but no one is here
[Lozzenger2] takes out a notepad and a cheap biro pen and scribbles a load of random words down whilst waiting..
[Lethe] joins the class, interested in the ideas others have about poetry.
[Airelótë] sees a couple of students, and joins them gladly. As a habit, she takes out her current book and starts reading it.
[blood soaked madin] runs into room out of breath..."Am I late? What did I miss?" She sits down and starts scribbling away about sudden thought.

Back to Literature or Elftown Academy or Poetry 101