Real toads, imaginary gardens : on reading and writing poetry forensically Cover Image

Book

Real toads, imaginary gardens : on reading and writing poetry forensically / Paisley Rekdal.

Summary:

"What makes reading a poem unlike reading anything else? In Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens, acclaimed poet and teacher Paisley Rekdal demonstrates how to observe the building blocks of a poem--including its diction, form, imagery, and rhythm--and construct an interpretation of its meaning. Using guided close readings and nearly 40 creative and critical 'experiments,' this book shows how a poem takes shape through the intersection of all its lyric elements. Drawing on the work of poets from William Shakespeare to Jericho Brown, Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens reveals how to read and write critically, and how to appreciate--and master--the exhilarating craft of poetry"-- Page 4 of cover.

Record details

ISBN: 9780393881981
ISBN: 0393881989
Physical Description: x, 369 pages ; 21 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York, NY : W. W. Norton & Company, [2024]
Copyright: ©2024

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction : on reading and writing forensically -- What are the first things you notice? -- What images are in the poem? -- Who speaks and to whom? -- How would you characterize the poem's syntax? -- What kind of lineation does the poet employ? -- What word choice and diction does the poet use? -- What rhymes do you hear? -- Does the poem employ meter? -- Does the poem have conventional form? -- What is the poem's mode? -- Putting it all together.