Norton's Introduction to Literature Poetry: Reading, Writing, Understanding

1. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
POETRY: Reading,
Responding,Writing
Poetry

2. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. 2
BeforeYou Read
• Poems can be complex and support multiple
meanings; they also may affect different
readers in different ways. But developing
specific, systematic reading habits and skills
can make you more confident in and
satisfied with your interpretations.

3. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
Reading Poetry
• Paying attention to how poems describe
and invoke feeling can help us discover a
language for our own feelings. At the same
time, being conscious of feelings we already
have can help us understand and interpret
poems.
• A poem’s vivid language can help us
understand and identify with subject matter
or experiences that may be foreign to us.
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4. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
Analyzing a Poem
• Poems become more accessible when we
approach them systematically and learn to
ask the right questions. Some useful
preliminary questions involve thinking
about the role of title, situation, speaker,
and traditions in a poem. The Norton
Introduction to Literature provides a helpful
set of guidelines for approaching poetry.
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5. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
Things to Consider
• subject, theme
• context
• form: style, structure
• language: poetic and literary devices
• personal response to the poem
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6. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
LITERATURE
THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO
Kelly J. Mays
For more learning resources, visit the
StudySpace:
http://wwnorton.com/litweb

7. © 2013 W. W. Norton Co., Inc.
LITERATURE
THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO
Kelly J. Mays
For more learning resources, visit the
StudySpace:
http://wwnorton.com/litweb