Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms [Paperback]

William Baer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1582974152 | ISBN-13: 978-1582974156

"Writing Metrical Poetry" heralds a return to prominence for formal verse-sonnets, ballads, blank verse and other forms. With a contemporary, accessible voice it stands apart from other coverage on the subject. The features include: clear, unintimidating explanations from a recognised master of metrical poetry; instruction illustrated with work from today's leading poets - Seamus Heaney, Dana Gioia, W.S. Merwin, Richard Wilbur, and others; and the only up-to-date guide to writing metrical poetry on the market. The popular voice and systematic, building-block approach make the book ideal for the lone poet and the eager student.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Baer is the founding editor and publisher of The Formalist and head of the University of Evansville Press. He is the winner of the T.S. Elliot prize for poetry, a NEA fellowship for fiction and the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award. He lives in Evansville, Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books (March 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582974152
• ISBN-13: 978-1582974156
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strictly introductory level, October 26, 2006

By 

James Wilk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms (Paperback)

Just a caveat before I begin. I had been writing metrical verse for some years before purchasing this book. I was familiar with the author because of his years as editor of The Formalist. I happened to come across this book while browsing at Amazon. Intrigued by its title and author, I purchased it, hoping to gain some very detailed insight and advice about the mechanics of writing metrical poetry.

Instead, what I received was a defense of the practice of formalism in an age dominated by free verse, a rather basic introduction to scansion and metrical substitution, followed by definitions and examples of blank verse, ballad stanzas, the sonnet and the French forms such as the villanelle and the triolet.

Baer's manual offers exercises for the poet, but no way to grade them or evaluate them. The exercises offered are very general, such as "write a sonnet, using either the Italian or English format. Use only pentameters and solid rhymes. Avoid the pop culture. Avoid old-fashioned diction. Avoid convoluted syntax that's manipulated to hit the rhymes."

What is the reader to do when she/he has already written 60 or 70 sonnets?

The book purposely avoids technical language. You won't learn of anacoluthon, asyndeton, synairesis, aposiopesis, scazons, rima bacciata, apocope, syncope, acatalexis, acephalexis or similar terms.

In short, it is a strictly introductory level book, probably intended for the poet who has been dabbling in free verse and who wishes to try her/his hand at formalism, but has very little experience with traditional poetic forms. I have found that many other books go into greater depth, even though these other books are intended to help the reader of metrical poetry and not strictly the writer: Paul Fussell's Poetic Meter and Poetic Form, Beum and Shapiro's The Prosody Handbook: A Guide to Poetic Form, Steele's All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing, Turco's The Book of Forms, Pinsky's The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide, and Hollander's Rhyme's Reason.

I think the book would be very useful for its intended readership, but I don't expect a budding neoformalist trying to improve his/her craft to get the type of information she/he is looking for. Had I come across this book in an actual bookstore and had the opportunity to peruse it in more depth, rather than online, I wouldn't have purchased it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you wish to learn the rules and methods of mastering metrical poetry, look no further than Writing Metrical Poetry, December 13, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms (Paperback)

If you wish to learn the rules and methods of mastering metrical poetry, look no further than Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms. It's a rarity in the world of the poetic free verse of modern times, and provides all the details needed to work with poetry in the major forms, from quatrains to sonnets and beyond. Step-by-step directions offer easy instructions and plenty of examples and exercises to reinforce focused assignments.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Less is more, July 17, 2007

By 

Michael Wong (Millbrae, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms (Paperback)

I'm not a poet, but have always enjoyed reading it. Perhaps there are more technical and advanced books available, but I would say William Baer strikes the right balance explaining the terms and the forms without overwhelming the interested reader or budding poet. Nor does he stop there. He gives examples aplenty and powerfully simple and straightforward analysis. Best of all, he avoids the touchy-feely approach of more populist poetry manuals that throw the rules out the window and just want you to get in touch with your inner self.