The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 494 pages
The bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun brings poetry
out of the classroom and into the homes of everyday readers.

Before she fell in love with Tuscany, Frances Mayes fell in love with verse. After publishing five books of poetry and teaching creative writing for more than twenty-five years, Mayes is no stranger to the subject. In The Discovery of Poetry, an accessible "field guide" to reading and writing poetry, she shares her passion with readers. Beginning with basic terminology and techniques, from texture and sound to rhyme and repetition, Mayes shows how focusing on one aspect of a poem can help you to better understand, appreciate, and enjoy the reading and writing experience. In addition to many creative and helpful composition ideas, following each lyrical and lively discussion is a thoughtful selection of poems. With its wonderful anthology from Shakespeare to Jamaica Kinkaid, The Discovery of Poetry is an insightful, invaluable guide to what Mayes calls "the natural pleasures of language-a happiness we were born to have."

From inside the book

Contents

Sources and Approaches
1
The Muscle of Language
34
Poems
42
The Perceptual Field
66
Images and Perception
72
The Eye of the Poem
138
Rhyme and Repetition
165
The Measured Flow
217
Free Verse
267
Subject and Style
363
A Poets Handbook
479
Index of Titles
507
Index of Terms and Topics
518
Copyright

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About the author (2001)

A native of Georgia, Frances Mayes received a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.A. from San Francisco State University. She is a creative writing professor at San Francisco State University. Mayes' memoir "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy," about buying and restoring an abandoned villa in Cortona, was a national best seller in 1996. It became the basis of a feature film of the same name in 2003 starring Diane Lane. In addition her travel writing, Frances Mayes is the author of six books of poetry and is a respected essayist and gourmet cook. Frances' title Under Magnolia is a 2015 New York Times bestseller.

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