Rules for the Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse (Paperback)

~ (Author) "METRICAL POETRY is about: breath..." (more)
Key Phrases: metrical poem, metrical poetry, final foot, Annabel Lee, Snowy Evening, The Chambered Nautilus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Just as dancing is "the art of moving in accord with a pattern," says Mary Oliver, so is writing metrical verse. "One sorts out the pattern, one relies on it, and relaxes from effort to pleasure." The rules (concerning rhyme, line length, and pattern) are made if not to be deliberately flouted, then at least to be toyed with. Oliver claims to have written this book for both writers and readers of metrical verse, but it is an odd sort of fit for either. A writer might wish for a little more detail; a reader might find too much. The book works best as a kind of refresher course, for those who have forgotten the difference between metaphysical and Petrarchan conceits, between masculine and feminine rhymes, and would like to brush up a bit. Oliver does a wonderful job of explaining why the most common forms of metrical verse came to prevail (for instance, the five-foot line is "the line which is the closest to the breathing capacity of our lungs"), and of nudging us into reading more metrical poetry (nearly half this volume is devoted to works by John Donne, William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, and others). Blessedly, Oliver reminds us that, though one could get carried away trying new meters and forms, one shouldn't expect to be writing a lot of double ionics anytime soon. "Expect to use one hypersyllabic foot in ten years, perhaps," she says. "Anacrusis, rarely. Catalexis: often. The double ionic: when the next comet flies over." --Jane Steinberg

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"What good company Mary Oliver is!" -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (July 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039585086X
• ISBN-13: 978-0395850862
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,252 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterful, spare, profound look at the craft of poetry., August 31, 1998

By	W. Noble "noblebill" (Northern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Mary Oliver brings to this small book all the clarity and economy that characterize her poetry, and produces the most plain-spoken, profound work that I have read on poetry as a conscious craft. The book is divided into five parts. Part One is 12 brief, carefully-exampled chapters with titles like "Breath", "Line Length", and "Meter in Non-Metric Verse". Part Two is a single chapter on "Style". Part Three explores scansion for both reader and writer. Part Four is a 2-page statement of the timelessness of poetry. Part Five is a fine little anthology of works studied in the earlier text. This austere, remote poet has written a book that speaks to the reader with great intimacy and passion. To quote from Oliver's envoi: "No poet ever wrote a poem to dishonor life, to compromise high ideals, to scorn religious views, to demean hope or gratitude, to argue against tenderness, to place rancor before love, or to praise littleness of soul. Not one. Not ever."

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple surprise, June 9, 2001

By	Ethan E Bodle (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This book is really well written and inspirational. It helped me to understand better the purpose of metrical poetry. For a lay person such as myself it's easy to fall into thinking that "rules" can only constrict the emotional possibilities of poems. But, Mary Oliver explains, in practical terms, how meter is a tool to evoke an even greater impact from our words.

I would say this book is probably best for those who are new to writing metric poetry. Experienced writers might find it a little superficial.

I also have the "Poetry Handbook" by the same author, but I think "Rules for the Dance" is better for the same material and more entertaining. Enjoy!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dance, April 24, 2001

By	jebusoc (NY United States) - See all my reviews

Dance is a wonderful, succinct explication of metrics. Oliver removes the mystery from meter and makes you want to...well, scan! I've read a few books on this subject, including Pinsky's Fussell's, Kinzie's and some others, but this one is the best introduction. Whether reader or writer of poetry, you'll finish this book with new practical tools of craft and comprehension.