Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry [Paperback]

Thomas R. Arp (Author), Greg Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0838407463 | ISBN-13: 978-0838407462 | Publication Date: May 14, 2004 | Edition: 11th

An introduction to poetry presented in a compact and concise anthology, SOUND AND SENSE continues the tradition of offering clear, precise writing and practical organization initiated by Laurence Perrine years ago.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The response was overwhelming from the students. They LOVE the depth and the feeling of poetry that Perrine has . . . [Perrine] oozes the deep love of poetry."

"An excellent anthology; eclectic and unpretentious, . . . Sound and Sense continues to outrank its competition!"

"The beauty of the Perrine text has always been that, along with crisp, clear definitions, it provides a wealth and variety of selections, classic and contemporary."

"This is the finest poetry textbook I've seen. The explanations are very clear to students, it is superbly organized and compact."

About the Author

Thomas R. Arp received a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan (1954) and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to Stanford University. In 1955-1956, he produced educational television for the University of Michigan. He received an M.A. from Stanford University in 1960 and a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1962. He has taught at Bowdoin College, Princeton University, University of California at Berkeley, Hull University (England), and since 1970 at Southern Methodist University. His volume, THE FORM OF POETRY, was published by Macmillan in 1966, and he received a Fulbright lectureship at University of Bucharest (Romania) in 1969-1970. Arp joined Laurence Perrine in preparing revised editions of SOUND AND SENSE, STORY AND STRUCTURE, and LITERATURE: STRUCTURE, SOUND, AND SENSE beginning in 1982. He became sole author of the books in 1997, and was joined as co-author by Greg Johnson in 2002.

Greg Johnson received an M.A. in English from Southern Methodist University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Dr. Johnson is the author of eleven books of fiction, poetry, criticism, and biography, including the recent story collection, LAST ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY (Johns Hopkins, 2004), the novel STICKY KISSES (Alyson Books, 2001), and INVISIBLE WRITER: A BIOGRAPHY OF JOYCE CAROL OATES. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 11th edition (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0838407463
• ISBN-13: 978-0838407462
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Introduction to Poetry and Poetic Form, June 9, 2000

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (9th Edition) (Paperback)

I came across an early edition of Sound and Sense a few years ago. At first glance the slighty yellowed text appeared foreboding with chapters like denotation and connotation, imagery, figurative lanaguage, allusion, tone, rhythm and meter, sound and meaning, and so forth. I found it hard to imagine a less lifeless approach to poetry. However, the text did seem to contain a sizeable anthology as an appendix and poetry was abundant in every chapter. I reasoned that I could skip the poetic structure discussions and simply read the poetry.

But from the beginning I found Perrine's style and approach to be stimulating, rather than analytical. Throughout we are immersed in poetry, great poetry, familiar poetry, unfamiliar poetry. Perrine argues that poetry needs to be read and reread carefully for full understanding and appreciation. We need to learn to think about poetry with some seriousness, but not in a cold, calculating manner. We approach new poetry with our eyes and ears open, our senses alive.

Yes, as other reviewers point out, Sound and Sense is structured and does methodically explore poetic forms in some detail. But this is not a drawback. It is actually an aid to understanding. Perrine manages to achieve his instructional objective without diluting his central message: poetry is to be enjoyed. He never forgets that his subject is poetry, and not poetic form and structure.

I have since learned that Perrine's text is still in use today, nearly fifty years after publication of the first edition. (See recent 10th edition 0155073966, June 8, 2000.) How can that be? Few textbooks achieve ten printings, much less ten editions. Even the title change signifies respect; it is no longer simply Sound and Sense, it is "Perrine's Sound and Sense".

I highly recommend Perine's text to anyone willing to invest a little time and study to poetry. The return will be worthwhile. I give Sound and Sense five stars.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for use with students, November 1, 2005

By 

Brian C. Holly "Brian" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (Paperback)

I am currently using this book with 11th grade English students, and they have been truly caught up in it. We are actually having arguments in class over poetry!! I do find, however, that it is helpful to do the chapter on rhythm and meter much earlier than I would if I were following the chapters in order. My experience is that students have a difficult time hearing the rhythm of poetry and are generally unable to read aloud with any success. Jumping ahead early to the chapter on rhythm and meter and having the students tap out the meters and then mark the scansion produces a wonderful improvement in their ability to hear the poems and read them aloud. I would heartily recommend this book for use in grades 11 and 12, and for college freshman. It makes the study of poetry hugely enjoyable, as it should be but rarely is, for both student and teacher.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good AP Textbook, December 15, 2004

By 

Sean Feeney (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perrine's Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (Paperback)

My senior AP Literature and Composition class is using this book as a textbook, and I would have to say it is the best high school English book I've ever used. The questions following each included piece really helps you to focus on what is important in the passage, and the introductions to each chapter are brief and to the point.