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An Introduction to English Poetry Paperback – April 1, 2004

by James Fenton (Author)

4.2 135 ratings

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A wise, absorbing, and surprising introduction to poetry written in English, from one of England's leading poets

James Fenton is that rare scholar "not ashamed to admit that he mostly reads for pleasure" (Charles Simic, The New York Review of Books). In this eminently readable guide to his abiding passion, he has distilled the essense of a library's--and a lifetime's--worth of delight.

The pleasures of his own verse can be found in abundance here: economy, a natural ease, and most of all, surprise. What is English poetry? Fenton argues that it includes any recited words in English that marshall rhythm for their meaning--among them prisoners's work songs, Broadway show tunes, and the cries of street vendors captured in verse. From these beginnings, Fenton describes the rudiments of--and, most important, the inspiration for--the musical verse we find in books, and concludes with an illuminating discussion of operas and songs. Fenton illustrates his comments with verse from all over the English-speaking world.

Catholic in his taste, shrewd in his distinctions, and charmingly frank, Fenton is an ideal guide to everything to do with poetry, from the temperament of poets to their accomplishment, in all its variety. In all his writing, prose or verse, Fenton has always had the virtue of saying, in a way that seems effortless, precisely what lies at the heart of the matter. In this vein, An Introduction to English Poetry is one of his highest accomplishments.

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Length

152
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publication date

2004
April 1
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5
inches
ISBN-10

0374528896
ISBN-13

978-0374528898
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Fenton's] essays educate, enlighten, surprise and thrill, unfailingly.” ―Robin Lippincott, The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

James Fenton is a poet and critic. From 1994 to 1999 he was Professor of Poetry at Oxford. He writes about poetry, art history, and gardening for the New York Review of Books.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition (April 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374528896
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374528898
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.35 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,836,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,758 in Poetry Literary Criticism (Books)
- #1,907 in British & Irish Poetry
- #7,584 in Literary Criticism & Theory

Customer Reviews:
4.2 135 ratings

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4.2 out of 5

135 global ratings

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Jennifer Sanchez

For those of you who hate text books this is a great resource. :P

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2009

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Fenton writes in a way that is not too difficult to understand for those of you who are just beginning to study poetry. He's engaging and interesting while he skims over the basics and sinks into the more difficult aspects of English poetry. If you are the kind of person who would rather read a book than study a text book this is the perfect choice for you. This book was required for an English class that I was taking and I found that I was able to understand the more complicated poets a little easier than I have with any other texbook I've read.

3 people found this helpful

Beverley R. Enright

Fun to read but missing some topics

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2014

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Having seen the chapter headings online, I had higher expectations for the breadth of this book, but what he does discuss is fun to read and he has an engaging style.

Not perfect, but full of insights

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2015

Fenton's introduction to the forms of English poetry is charmingly written in a conversational yet elegant style. The book's brief chapters are full of insights that only an experienced poet and careful reader can provide. I have reservations about his way of analyzing meter: for example, he believes some stresses can go missing in a pentameter line, where I typically hear the stresses as weak but still stronger than the adjacent syllables. Robert Pinsky's The Sounds of Poetry seems not only more correct on this point, but also easier for a beginning student of meter to understand. Still, Fenton's abundant insights and engaging tone more than make up for this weakness. A student who reads first Pinsky, then Fenton, will acquire a good sense of how English meter works and will also recognize why it is so difficult to come to a consensus about the best way to scan metrical lines.

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2013

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Pretty cool book. If you like poems, and want to get more involved in studying them, then it's a good buy for you.

adead_poet@hotmail.com

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2004

Fenton's Intro to English Poetry is an interesting book to read, but not because it will teach you anything. It is too short. He covers just about everything, but each chapter (which covers a different topic) is only a couple of pages long. He just doesn't go into it enough. This book is not for teaching. This book is not for beginners. What this book is for is for those who know what they are doing or have an idea and are interested in what Fenton has to say. And it is interesting.

7 people found this helpful

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kevin green

Four Stars

Reviewed in India on July 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

Good collection of poems for novice reader and intermediate reader alike.

えみちゃん

最高の英詩入門書

Reviewed in Japan on October 1, 2018

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著者は、オックスフォード大学詩学教授も務めた現代イギリス詩人。学者や詩人が書いた詩論は、ともすると自己主張と個性が強すぎて、初心者には薦めにくいものが少なくないが、フェントンのこの入門書は、英詩の楽しみ方を一般読者にも広く伝えようという気配りに満ちていて、とても読みやすい。わかりやすい例を丁寧に引用しながら、専門用語は最小限にとどめつつ、巻末にはとりあえず過不足ない専門用語解説集もあり、読者目線に立った親切な入門書。平明な英語で書かれた100ページ少しの書物なので、英語がある程度できる人なら、誰でも楽しく読み通すことができるでしょう。

2 people found this helpful

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J. Hughes

This opened my eyes to poetry

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2011

Verified Purchase

I arrived at this book by coincidence; after reading a series of books on grammar and the construction of prose combined with the bibliography from Hitch 22 I was inspired to learn more about Poetry, and James Fenton seemed best qualified to make that introduction.

Previously I had seen poetry as a fairly self-indulgent and pretentious pursuit, but during the course of this book I came to appreciate how technical constraints provide a framework for expressing ideas. The chapters are able to break down what poetry is, James Fenton defines the concepts and rules of the form in an interesting and none-patronising way. It also avoids the aspects that may deter many readers, namely: what the subjects of poetry should be (this is left entirely to the reader). The examples are chosen for their illustrative merit (e.g. demonstrating Iambic Pentameter) and do not try to to do the job of an anthology.

I enjoy instructional books that cover basic principals, leaving the reader to practice and study how to use them. An Introduction to English Poetry will likely be read and reread by those who wish to appreciate and/or write poetry.

18 people found this helpful

Peter Richard Henry Moss

A very well written gude to all the rules governing English Poetry. I cannot recomend it too highly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2023

Verified Purchase

It is very well written and tells me all I wish to know about how poetry works. I shall shortly be re-reading it. I cannot recomend it too highly.

Amal Bhattacharjee

Four Stars

Reviewed in India on January 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

very useful

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