Categories for reading a poem
Terry Eagleton, How to Read A Poem
London: Blackwell Publishing, 2006
182 pages ISBN 1405151404.
See above all CHAPTER 2 What is poetry e
CHAPTER 4 How to read a poem
So, is criticism just subjective? (Eagleton,
102)
COMMON ARGUMENT:
Only some features of poetry are formalisable
• Metre, Rhyme, and possibly Theme
But talk of tone, mood, pace, dramatic gesture and the like is purely subjective.
OK, no exact science
OK, serious divergences of opinion may exist
But tones and feelings are also social matters (like meaning)
A false dichotomy
Meaning
(Public)
Feelings
(Private)
You should keep an eye on:
Related issues
0 PRAGMATIC
Who is the speaker? Who is she
addressing? What is the overt purpose of
the speech? Is it a monologue/dialogue?
1st per.3rd pers.
Omniscient
ACTIO
1 METRICAL
Feet /Beats
Metrical regularity/irregularity
Iamb/Anapaest/
Rhythm must have
meaning
ACTIO
2 RHYME
rhyme patterns
Rhythmical alternations
Para-Rhymes Eye-rhymes Couplets
Feminine or Masculine Rhymes
3 SYNTACTICAL/GRAPHICAL
Grammar Syntax Punctuation
Word Placement/Word Order
parataxis hypotaxis
Structure Stanza Division
DISPOSITIO
4 LEXICAL
Intensity
Word choice
Register
Keywords
God terms
ELOCUTIO
5 SEMANTIC
Meaning
Recurrent words that set up semantic
fields/Motifs
Topoi Themes (cultural codes)
Genre
Ambiguity
Ambivalence
Isotopies
INVENTIO
6 RHETORICAL (Schemes and
Tropes)?
Imagery
Rhetorical figures/Types of Appeal
Logos Ethos Pathos
Metonymy,Chiasm..
ELOCUTIO
7 PHONIC Texture
Tone mood timbre pitch pace
Repetition/Alternation of Sounds
Alliteration Assonance
Phonosymbolism
ACTIO
Energy binding trick
MEMORIA
 Style of feeling are shaped by our cultural
institutions
 Think of the theatrical manner children are
taught to behave
 Human emotions are mimetic
 By and large, legal and scientific
language aims to constrict meaning,
whereas poetic language seeks to
proliferate it.
WHAT do we mean by TONE?
Tone means a
modulation of the
voice expressing
a particular mood
or feeling. It is
one of the places
where signs and
emotions
intersect.
What do we mean by MOOD?
A state of
mind or
feeling
What do we mean by
TIMBRE?
What do we mean by PITCH?
The distinctive character
of a voice or musical
note, apart from its pitch
and intensity
The pitch of a poetic
voice refers to whether
it sounds high, low, or
middle-ranging.
It is a distinctive hallmark
of a poet (you may detect
if you become very
familiar with a poet and
have read all her poetry)
Yes, injured Woman!
Rise, assert thy right!
Woman! Too long
degraded.. (Barbauld)
A few adjectives used to describe tone,
timbre, mood, or intensity
 Sportive Spiritoso
 Eloquent Eloquente
 Serious Serio
 Urgent Insistente
 Debonair Disinvolto  Assertive Assertivo
 Earnest Fervido
 Sententious
 Roguish Scanzonat0
 Sardonic Sardonico 
 Sarcastic Sarcastico 
 Cavalier Altezzoso

 Rancorous Astioso

 Jubilant Esultante

 Garrulous Ciarliero
Pomposo
Abrupt Brusco
Dandyish Ricercato
Lugubrious Tetro
Rakish Dissoluto
Obsequious
Adulatorio
A few adjectives used to describe tone, timbre,
mood, or intensity
 Anxious








Preoccupato
Apprensivo
Urbane Cortese
Playful Scherzoso
Flippant Insolente
Impertinente
Impish Birichino
Defiant Di Sfida
Self-satisfied
Contento di sé
Conceited Pieno di
sé
Moving Toccante
 Self-assured Sicuro
di sé Fiducioso
 Pompous-self
indulgence
 Booming
Rimbombante
 Bombastic
Pomposob
A few adjectives used to describe tone,
timbre, mood, or intensity
 Prosaic Banale





Comune Non Poetico
Tremulous Vacillante
Tremolante
Self-pitying di
autocommiserazione
Indolent Indolente
Apatico Pigro
High-minded
magnanimo
Exhilarated
Elettrizzato
What do we mean by
texture?
Feel or
appearance of a
surface,
substance or
sound.
How a poem
weaves its
various sounds
into palpable
patterns.
Which words to talk about it?
NOUNS or
ADJECTIVES:
PHRASES:
VERBS:
TECHNICAL
TERMS:
•Vowel consonant
•harsh, soft, sharp, sibilant,
muscular
•Set of sounds/cluster of sounds.
•Vowel count/”busy consonantal
activity”
• pick up, reflect,
•ALLITERATION, ASSONANCE
What do we mean by
texture?
Feel or
appearance of a
surface,
substance or
sound.
How a poem
weaves its
various sounds
into palpable
patterns.
Which words to talk about it?
NOUNS or
ADJECTIVES:
PHRASES:
VERBS:
TECHNICAL
TERMS:
•Vowel consonant
•harsh, soft, sharp, sibilant,
muscular
•Set of sounds/cluster of sounds.
•Vowel count/”busy consonantal
activity”
• pick up, reflect,
•ALLITERATION, ASSONANCE
What do we mean by
INTENSITY?
Which words to talk about it?
NOUNS or
ADJECTIVES:
Concentration of
poetic feeling
PHRASES:
Culturally an
historically
perceived (e.g us
vs Romantics)
VERBS:
TECHNICAL
TERMS:
What do we mean by
PACE?
Which words to talk about it?
NOUNS or
ADJECTIVES:
The way
a poem is
perceived
to move
along
PHRASES:
VERBS:
TECHNICAL
TERMS:
• It may move rapidly or slowly,
creep, jog sedately along, hurtle
hectically forward
What do we mean by
SYNTAX?
The way
words are
arranged,
contrasted,
or
juxtaposed
to form a
sentence
Which words to talk about it?
NOUNS or
ADJECTIVES:
•Punctuation/Grammar
•Convoluted
•Jagged
•Knotted
PHRASES:
VERBS:
STECHNICAL
TERMS:
•Syntax mimes
•Syntactical Structure
 John Lennard, The Poetry Handbook. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2005.
 METRE pp.1-17; FORM pp.33-48 e pp.68-69; LAYOUT
pp.81-87; PUNCTUATION pp. 105-114; LINEATION pp.
153-158 e p. 183; RHYME pp. 189-210; DICTION pp.
222-250 e pp.252-255; SYNTAX 263-267 e p. 279;
HISTORY pp.290-311; BIOGRAHY pp. 315-323;
GENDER 337-344.